A More Permanent Solution
by talia571
Summary: James and the Alpha have been defeated but now a new threat is in Beacon Hills. On top of the new threat, Summer is faced with a heartbreaking decision that will tear her apart no matter what she chooses. While she helps Stiles and Scott face the threat that has come upon Beacon Hills, Summer is asked for help by an unlikely ally.
1. Should've Stayed Antisocial

"Happy birthday, Bella!" I grinned, handing her a small gift as soon as she and Edward entered the Cullen house. School had been tiring, so a birthday party would be a great way to get my mind off of things.

"Thanks." Bella sighed. Before her birthday had arrived, she had told me that she hated her birthday. She didn't want to age. Edward was frozen at the age of seventeen, so Bella didn't want to be 'older' than him.

Bella opened the tiny box to reveal a small piece of paper. She picked up the piece of paper and after reading it, grinned at me.

"Thank you. This is perfect." She smiled at me. I knew I had made a right move by giving her an 'escape from Alice and Edward coupon'. Basically, one time if she wants to escape Alice and her fashionable ways or Edward trying to take her to a school dance, I will help her escape for the day.

"Yes, good idea, Summer!" Alice clapped her hands together, excitedly. "Present time!" She picked up a present from the table to the side and handed it to Bella. Bella began to free the small box from its blue wrapping paper, but her finger slipped to the side and slid against the ribbon. A droplet of red fell to the floor.

"Sorry, paper…cut." Bella's voice morphed into realization. My lips parted in shock. I watched as Jasper's face twisted into discomfort. Being the newest Cullen, excluding myself, Jasper was still struggling with blood. Jasper's lips curled up into a snarl and he prepared to charge at Bella.

"Bella!" I shouted at her. Letting out a battlecry, Jasper launched towards Bella. My hand shot to my lips in terror. Edward sprung in front of Bella, throwing her backwards with his arm. Bella crashed into the glass table and crumpled to the floor. Holding my breath, I ran to Bella's side. Carlisle joined me immediately. Emmett and Alice pushed Jasper back, trying to calm him down.

"Jasper, shh. It's just blood." As soon as Alice said the word blood, she turned to see Bella's blood-soaked arm. The glass from the table had torn up Bella's forearm. Once Jasper had left the house, Edward crouched by Bella's side.

"Edward, could you go talk to Jasper?" Carlisle asked Edward. Edward silently looked at the scene with guilt and fear.

"Edward." I said, trying to gain his attention. Edward's pain-filled eyes met mine.

"You're probably the only one Jasper will talk to right now." Carlisle told him.

"Edward, we'll take care of Bella." I told him.

"I'll be okay." Bella whispered, clutching her bloody arm. "Edward, go." Edward's wide eyes met mine once again. I nodded at him, telling him it was okay for him to go. Still holding my breath, I helped Carlisle get Bella upstairs to his office. While Carlisle sat her down, I grabbed a few cloths and Carlisle's medical kit.

"Thank you, Summer." Carlisle thanked me, producing a syringe from a drawer after he had cleaned the blood. Bella crinkled her nose.

"Don't worry, Bella. It will numb your arm." I comforted her.

"It's not that. I just really hate blood." Bella responded.

"Well that makes two of us." I replied. Carlisle began removing the shards of glass from Bella's wound.

"Do you need blood?" Bella asked me while Carlisle injected her.

"I can survive on either blood or food, but I don't drink blood. I eat food." I told her, trying to push aside the thought of my mother.

"Does blood still affect you?" She asked.

"Yeah, but I'm working on control, just like the Cullens all do." I answered.

"How do you do it?" Bella asked Carlisle, referring to control.

"Years and years of practice." Carlisle replied as he sutured Bella's wound. "You'll learn soon enough." He directed at me.

"I hope so." I responded, sitting on Carlisle's desk.

"Does it bother you right now?" Bella asked me.

"Not really. Although, the blood in the dish kind of stings." I admitted, pointing at the dish where the bloodied cloth sat along with the shards of glass. "I guess I had a lot of practice dealing with blood because of James and Peter.

"Do you think the rest of the year is going to be different?" Bella asked.

"What? Monster-free?" I questioned.

"Yeah." Bella confirmed.

"No. I don't really think things will ever be the same. I'm just waiting for something else to come and disturb Beacon Hills." I frowned.

"Like what?" She wondered.

"I don't even want to know. Hopefully it is something easy to deal with. Like, a regular werewolf or something." I sighed. "I'd rather have a peaceful time, though."

After Bella finished getting stitches and everyone had settled down, I went upstairs to my room to relax. Apparently, relaxing was the last thing my mind wanted me to do because I kept thinking about the note. I sat on my bed, thinking about the damn note. _You look so much like your mother._ Sighing, I got up and made my way over to my desk where I had left it. I took it out of the drawer and stared at it. Curiously, I lifted the note up to my nose to sniff it. To my surprise, there was no scent on the note. There wasn't a single scent. If someone left the note, I would've been able to smell them. For some reason, I couldn't. I wanted to find out who left the note, so I took the note downstairs to the Cullens, deciding to tell them about it.

"Someone or something left this note in my car, but I can't seem to get a scent." I announced as I entered the lounge.

"Maybe your nose just doesn't work properly." Emmett teased.

"Maybe, but I just want to find out if there is a scent on this damn thing so that I could track whoever left it in my car." I sighed.

"Are you sure you want to go down this road?" Esme asked.

"I don't know. It could just be a prank, but I want to find out for sure." I replied, passing her the note. She read it, her face changing into a sympathetic one.

"I can't smell anyone but you." Esme told me, passing it to Carlisle. He frowned, shaking his head. None of the Cullens could pick up a scent.

"I only smell your scent." Carlisle told me. "When did you find it?"

"Yesterday." I answered.

"There should be a scent." Esme commented.

"I'll call Eleazar in Denali. He may know if there are any vampires with defensive talents that could allow a vampire to completely mask their scent." Carlisle announced. "Summer, you should probably talk to Alan Deaton."

"The vet?" I asked. "Why?"

"He knows a lot about werewolves. He may know something about werewolves that could be useful to this situation." Carlisle explained.

"Thanks, everyone." I thanked them as I slipped the post-it note into a ziploc bag to prevent other scents from contaminating the note.

"Summer." Esme called out.

"Yes?" I looked up at her.

"When Edward gets home, we're all going to talk about what happened today." She told me. I nodded, knowing it was a good idea. A human had gotten hurt in our home. We couldn't just ignore that and continue with our lives as if it never happened. Had we not gotten Jasper out in time, Bella would probably be dead.

"I'm going to make a quick stop by the animal clinic before Edward gets home." I told them, grabbing my keys. "I'll be home soon." I climbed into my Audi and drove towards the vet clinic, where both Scott and Deaton worked. Luckily when I arrived, Deaton was just closing up.

"I'm sorry, but we're closed." Deaton called out as soon as I stepped inside the building. He poked his head into the waiting room.

"I know. I'm sorry to come in so late, but I have to ask you something." I held up the bag with the note inside.

"Ah, Summer. Come in." Deaton opened the gate to allow me into his medical room. "What did you want to ask me?"

"It's about werewolves." I mentioned. "Is there any way that a werewolf could disguise their scent?"

"You mean masking their scent completely?" Deaton asked. I nodded.

"Yes, it is possible. There are some werewolves that have the ability to hide their scent from other werewolves. It would probably work the same with vampires." He explained. "Why do you ask?"

"Someone left a note in my car. It hit me hard because of the topic. I don't know who left it and I don't if it is a prank or not. I couldn't find a scent on it and when I passed it to the Cullens, they could couldn't smell anything but my scent." I informed him. "I only found it yesterday. It should still have a scent."

"Interesting." Deaton commented. "I'm not sure a werewolf would want to go anywhere near your car. Your scent and especially if any of the Cullens have been inside your vehicle, would scare a werewolf away. Werewolves alone can't take down a vampire. Even alphas struggle with vampires."

"So you think a vampire left the note?" I asked, beginning to worry.

"If there is a vampire who can mask their scent, then yes." Deaton answered. Swallowing a lump in my throat, I nodded.

"Thank you." I nodded my head stiffly, leaving the clinic. _You look so much like your mother. Vampire, note, mother._ I took deep breaths, fighting tears. There was no way my father left this note. He could be dead for all I knew. _This is a prank,_ I tried to remind myself. _Prank. Prank. Prank. Prank._

I pulled into the garage and went inside the house. As I entered the living room, I saw that all of the Cullens were standing around, even Edward.

"Sorry I'm late!" I apologized, joining them. Though I sometimes preferred sitting, I didn't want to be the only one sitting so I stood beside them.

"Edward just got home. You're not late." Jasper reassured me. I sighed with relief.

"We need to talk about what happened tonight." Carlisle started off.

"What happened can never happen again." Edward spoke up.

"I'm very sorry, Edward." Jasper said quietly.

"We all know you didn't intentionally do it. You're still learning. No one blames you for this." Esme told him.

"What are we going to do?" I asked.

"We have a few options." Carlisle replied. "We could stay and pretend this never happened."

"Or we could leave." Emmett finished. My eyes widened at Emmett's words. I had been hoping that wasn't an option, though I knew deep down it would come up.

"We can't let this happen again." Edward reworded his previous statement. Carlisle nodded in agreement.

"What happened wouldn't stop Bella from coming over again, would it?" I asked Edward.

"No. She tried to blame herself for it." Edward replied.

"If Bella keeps coming here, she's probably going to get hurt again and it's not just her. Allison and Stiles could get hurt, too." Emmett spoke up. I shuddered, thinking about any of my new friends getting hurt like Bella did.

"I think we should leave Beacon Hills." Rosalie announced her opinion.

"I think that's best. If I can't control myself, then people will get hurt." Jasper agreed with Rosalie. I took in a deep breath, thinking about the decision I had to make.

"We had to leave Beacon Hills anyways. Now is probably the best time." Emmett decided.

"Bella's safer if we go." Alice told us.

"Carlisle, whatever you choose works for me." Esme murmured.

"Edward and Summer haven't decided yet. When they've decided, I'll make my decision." Carlisle responded.

"Though it's selfish, I don't want to leave Bella, but I'd rather leave her than have her dead." Edward replied, his voice full of pain. Seven pairs of eyes turned to face me.

"Summer, you don't have to come with us. You're family and more than welcome, but we won't force you to make a decision you don't feel comfortable with." Esme told me with soft eyes.

"I'll stay behind to tell Bella while the rest of you leave." Edward announced. "You can stay behind with me to give you more time to decide."

"Okay." I nodded, trembling slightly. This feeling that I had was the reason I never let myself make friends. The thought of leaving Stiles and Scott was painful, but I didn't want to leave the Cullens again. I was done being a nomad. Carlisle put his hand on my shoulder.

"We'll leave tomorrow." Carlisle decided. The Cullens dispersed, signalling the end of our meeting. Carlisle and Esme headed to Carlisle's office. I slumped down on the sofa, thinking about the reasons to stay or leave. _Stay. Stiles, Scott, friends, happy, help Scott with supernatural. Leave. Note, Derek, no Cullens, dangerous, endangering others, I have to leave eventually anyways._ I noticed that reasons to leave outnumbered the reasons to stay. I went up to my bedroom, deciding that I would think about this later.

The following week was slow. I hadn't said anything to Scott or Stiles or even Allison. Lydia was still in the hospital recovering, so I hadn't told her either. Edward had been trying to figure out how to tell Bella and I had been trying to figure out how to tell Stiles. We had spent the whole week selling furniture and the house as well as letting the school know that we wouldn't be attending anymore. I had made my decision. In order to protect Scott, Stiles and even myself, I was going to leave Beacon Hills. Today was the day, though. Edward and I were going to tell Bella and Stiles. It was Sunday, exactly a week after Bella's accident.

"I'm going to tell Bella now. She will be coming home from school in a few minutes." Edward announced.

"I suppose I should tell Stiles then." I sighed, getting up. I ran to the school, remaining covered by the trees so I didn't get caught running at supernatural speeds. I heard the school bell ring once I arrived and I flinched. No matter how much I prepared to tell him that I was leaving, I still wasn't ready.

"Hey! How come you didn't come to school today? Or reply to my texts?" Stiles asked when he saw me standing by his Jeep. My heart pounded in my chest, threatening to burst.

"I was helping Edward clean the house so I wasn't really near my phone." I replied, not completely lying. Stiles shrugged and got into his Jeep. I sat in the passenger seat with him. My hands were shaking as Stiles drove. He switched on the radio, flicking through stations until he found a song he liked. The Clash's _Should I Stay Or Should I Go_ filled the Jeep. A chill ran down my spine as the song played. _Of all the songs that could have played, this one came on? Fitting..._ No longer having the strength to control my emotions, a tear ran down my cheek.

"Hey, good song, huh?" Stiles grinned, turning it up. He turned to look at me, frowning when he saw me crying. "Sorry, I didn't know the Clash was that bad." He turned the volume off and stared at me. After pulling over, he spoke.

"Why are you crying? What's wrong?" He asked.

"I'm leaving, Stiles." I blurted out.

"What?" He asked.

"All of us. The Cullens. We're leaving Beacon Hills." I cried.

"Why?" Stiles whispered, pain filling his eyes.

"Bella got hurt. The Cullens thought it was better for everyone if we leave." I explained as my hands trembled.

"All of you have to go?" He asked.

"Not necessarily, but we have to stick together." I replied.

"You could stay, couldn't you?" Stiles panicked.

"Stiles, I need to go. They already left. Edward and I stayed behind to tell you and Bella." I took a deep breath as tears rushed down my pale cheeks.

"Where are you going?" Stiles asked.

"I can't tell you." I sobbed.

"Will you at least call?" Stiles' face looked agonized.

"No." I choked. "It's not good for either of us if I do. It's better if we just stop talking. It'll eventually be less painful." I frowned after saying the hardest words I had ever said.

"So, I'll never see you again?" Stiles had tears in his eyes, though he fought them bravely.

"I'm so sorry." I leaned over and hugged him, squeezing my eyes shut. "Tell Scott, Allison and Lydia goodbye for me." I exited the Jeep before he could respond. I took the SD card out of my phone and tossed the pieces into the grass. I ran home, leaving Stiles sitting in his Jeep. I cried during the entire journey home.


	2. Empty House, Empty Heart

I took one last look around the empty Cullen house. There wasn't a single piece of furniture aside from my bed, which we were going to drop off at someone's house on our way to the airport. The entire house was bare. I didn't even know why we kept my bed this long considering I haven't slept since I told Stiles we were leaving. The Cullen house was as empty as my heart and I was losing sleep because of it. My heart was broken and I didn't even want to imagine how Stiles felt.

"Summer, it's time." Edward told me with the bed in his arms. Nodding slowly, I followed him outside. We had rented a U-Haul truck so it didn't look weird if we walked to the person's house carrying a bed like a bag of groceries. I carried my suitcase which contained some of my clothes, a few of my favourite books, my laptop and a film, Batman Returns. I had disposed of my phone and deleted any social media accounts I had.

After selling my bed and returning the van, we drove towards the airport in a taxi. I had really wanted to stop by Scott's house to leave a note or say goodbye, but I knew he'd just try and track my scent for Stiles. They were probably already trying to track it. I don't even know what I would write on a note if I left one. I frowned, knowing that I would miss Scott. I knew Edward was listening to my thoughts, but I was grateful he didn't say anything. It was very hard not to get upset.

We paid the cab driver and headed into the airport. Edward and I put our suitcases through and then headed towards our flight terminal after exposing our passports.

Eventually, we began boarding the plane. Edward and I found our seats and sat down.

"How did Bella take the news?" I asked Edward. I knew it was a sensitive subject and I would probably upset him by asking, but I did care about Bella.

"She tried to come with us." Edward replied.

"That doesn't surprise me. She's quite stubborn." I chuckled.

"Yes she is." Edward agreed.

"Stiles looked so upset. I felt monstrous telling him." My voice dropped to a whisper as I said, "He asked if I would call. I had to tell him that I wouldn't call." Edward and I sat in silence for the rest of the plane ride except for the occasional rejection or acceptance of food and drinks. Edward of course always gave his drink to me. The drinks helped calm me down. Though I wasn't sure why, alcohol didn't affect me. I drank the small bottle of wine only when nobody was looking. My passport said that I was sixteen, so to their knowledge, I was underage. As we flew towards New York, I spent a lot of time staring at the note that had been left in my car. I brought it with me because I hoped that finding out who left the note would distract me from what I had just had to do.

" said that a vampire left the note?" Edward asked.

"Yes. Werewolves probably would have smelled the scent of me and you guys in the car and most likely wouldn't have gone anywhere near the car. It's not impossible that a werewolf could have left the note, but it is much more likely that a vampire left it." I explained. "Do you think a Quileute wolf could have left it?"

"No. Quileutes haven't been in Beacon Hills for a long time." Edward shook his head. I frowned. I had been hoping it wasn't a vampire. A click sounded from the plane and a flashing sign that read 'seatbelts' was brought to our attention. The hostesses informed us that we would be landing and should remain in our seats. _This is it,_ I thought. _Goodbye forever, Beacon Hills._

After we landed, we went through security, collected our luggage then exited the airport. Carlisle waited outside for us to take us to our new house.

"We're all glad to have you back." Carlisle smiled when we got into the vehicle.

"Me too. It was getting kind of lonely in the old house." I replied, letting out some fake laughter. I truly wasn't happy with the move, but I had to accept the idea that I could be in the future.

When we arrived at the new house, I greeted the Cullens. Carlisle then showed me to my new bedroom. It reminded me of when I first arrived in Beacon Hills, except this time there was much more sadness. I unpacked my suitcase and immediately took a nap to sleep away some of my sadness.

I didn't feel like attending high school again, so I enrolled myself into Cornell university. It would be much more of a distraction than high school. As well as my enrollment to an Ivy league university, I changed my last name to Cullen like I had when I was first found by Edward in 1965. All I had to do was get through two weeks until the semester started.

My first attempt at distraction was a terrible idea. I sat in my room, eating pizza and watching Batman Returns. I ended up crying by the first scene. I had decided not to get a cellphone because I would be way too tempted to call Scott or Stiles.

I had temporarily distracted myself with broadway shows, but it wasn't enough. I decided to go to Denali, Alaska where our 'cousins' lived. The Denalis were vegetarian vampires like the Cullens, meaning they drank animal blood only. Eleazar, their leader, had a talent that allowed him to detect other vampires' talents. I hoped that Eleazar might be able to tell me if he knew any vampires with a defensive talent that might allow them to disguise their scent.

I booked my ticket to Denali, but I wasn't the only one leaving. Edward had decided to travel the world. He was depressed from leaving Bella so he decided to travel to get his mind off of her. As much as I enjoyed being able to think freely, I missed him. All of the Cullens did.

"Summer!" Alice called, skipping over to me. "We're going shopping before you go to Alaska!" Alice grinned.

"We are?" I asked.

"Yes! You don't have a choice. We need to get you out of the house. You need distracting." Alice announced.

"I do need distracting." I agreed. "I can't stop thinking about Beacon Hills."

"You mean Stiles?" She asked as we walked down the streets of Ithaca, New York, which were incredible at night.

"Yes, I mean Stiles." I sighed. "But not just Stiles. I miss Allison, Scott, Bella and Lydia, too."

"If it makes you feel any better, I've been watching Bella in my visions. Nothing bad has happened." Alice reassured me. I smiled.

"Sometimes I wish I could go back just to watch over them, to see what and how they're doing." I sighed.

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Alice asked.

"Absolutely not." I laughed. "We've been here for a few months. I can't give up now. Besides, Scott would probably catch my scent and it would hurt Stiles even more, which is the last thing I want to do. I need to let him move on. That's assuming I had enough control not to go see them." I replied.

"You've spent the majority of your existence on your own. You're strong enough to stay away from them." Alice encouraged.

"Maybe, but I was used to being alone. Then I made friends and I preferred it." I pointed out.

"Well, you're not alone anymore. You have us!" Alice reminded me. I smiled at her.

"And I'm very glad I do." I replied, grinning as we arrived at a shopping mall. Despite the darkening sky, most of Ithaca's shops were still open.

I purchased a winter hat so that I would fit in while I was in Alaska. Eleazar and his family lived higher up in the mountains which was colder. I didn't need to buy a coat because I had bought one when I went shopping with Lydia and Allison the day Allison shot the sparking arrow into a tree.

Alice and I arrived home and I began packing my bags for Denali. I had met the Denalis once before when I still growing. At first they had thought I was an immortal child, which is a child who has been turned into a vampire. After much convincing and the fact that my heart beats, they had accepted me. Carlisle had already called them to ask if it was alright if I came down for a visit. Though they were excited that I was coming, they were disappointed to find out that the rest of the family wouldn't be coming to visit also. Most of the Cullens had just gotten jobs or enrolled in high school or university. Most of the younger Cullens had chosen high school because it meant we could stay in Ithaca longer. Because they were just starting their new lives, they couldn't take a break to go visit the Denalis.

"Are you ready to go?" Esme asked me on the day of my departure to Alaska.

"Yeah." I nodded, grabbing my backpack. During the car ride, I imagined that I was going to California instead of Alaska. I missed them all so much. I hadn't seen them in a few months.

When I arrived in Denali, I was greeted by a brown-haired woman who I recognized as Carmen. We drove to her house which was covered in snow.

"Welcome to Denali." A woman with long, straight blonde hair greeted me when I arrived. "I doubt you remember us. I'm Kate, these are my sisters, Tanya and Irina."

"I remember." I grinned.

"Well, you're definitely not an immortal child. That's for sure." Kate commented. I gave her a sympathetic smile, knowing that her mother had died because of immortal children. Their mother had turned a child into a vampire, which is illegal in the vampire world. As a punishment, she had faced death as well as the death of the child.

"Well, come inside. We've made a place for you to sleep." Eleazar invited. I followed the Denalis into their gorgeous cabin-like home.

"Thank you so much for having me." I thanked them, thinking about the reason I came here.

"You're welcome. We're very excited to see you again, mi querida." Carmen smiled warmly. I noticed that she spoke with flawless english, though her native tongue was Spanish.

"Me alegro verlo de nuevo." I replied with less than flawless Spanish, letting her know that I was also happy to see her again. I knew Spanish, but I wasn't as familiar with it as I was with other languages. Only Eleazar and Carmen were Spanish. Tanya, Irina and Kate weren't.

"We made up the couch for you to sleep on. Don't worry, it is comfier that it looks." Tanya spoke up, brushing her curly blonde hair out of the way.

"It's perfect, thank you." I smiled.

"When you're ready, Summer, we can take a look at that note." Eleazar promised.

"I have it right here." I pulled it out of my bag.

"Excellent." He nodded his head, taking the note from me.

"You can take it out of the bag if you'd like." I offered. He opened the bag and looked at the note. "I really should have come earlier. It's a few months old and there are other scents on it."

"I smell your scent, a human and your family." Eleazar announced after inspecting it thoroughly.

"The human is a vet that has alternate specialities." I informed him, thinking back to when I showed Deaton the note. Though he didn't touch it, he went close enough to it to leave a scent.

"Did the vet leave the note?" Carmen spoke up.

"None of them left it." I answered. "When I found it, there wasn't a single scent."

"When did you find it?" Kate asked.

"The day before the Cullens and I decided to leave." I replied.

"We should still be able to pick up a scent if there was one." Kate's face grew serious.

"Exactly, yet there isn't a scent." I agreed.

"I've never met anyone with a defensive talent like this." Eleazar shook his head. "I'm sure it's possible. If there is someone with such a talent, I'm sure the Volturi have already tried getting them to join." I shuddered at the thought of the Volturi. The Volturi were the royal family of the vampire world. Their word was law. The Volturi was made up of three ancient leaders, Aro, Caius and Marcus. They also had their wives and a guard which consisted of lethal vampires with incredible talents. The Volturi were always on the hunt for gifted vampires to join their coven. Carlisle had told me that the Volturi really wanted Edward and Alice to join. Thankfully, they didn't know about me because they haven't visited the Cullens since before they found me.

Snapping back to reality, I sighed.

"Do you know who my father is?" I asked them.

"No." Irina answered.

"Do you think your father left this?" Tanya asked.

"I don't know. I hope not, but I think it could be him." I admitted. "I don't know who he is or what he looks like. I have no memory of him."

"Do you know if he is for sure a vampire?" Tanya questioned.

"He has to be. It's the only way my existence makes sense. My mother was a human, so my father has to be a vampire." I answered.

"If we ever come across someone like this, we'll let you know immediately, mi querida." Carmen promised.

"Thank you very much." I thanked them.

After discussing the note, the three blonde sisters and I went for a walk in the mountains.

"I forgot how fast your heart beats." Kate commented.

"You should hear how fast it gets while I'm scared or stressed." I joked. My mind went back to the night Scott, Stiles, Allison, Lydia, Jackson and I were trapped in the school by Peter Hale. My heart had been pounding away that night.

"Like right now?" Kate stared at me with an amused look on her face.

"I was just thinking about something that used to terrify me." I responded. I didn't fear Peter anymore. He was dead and couldn't hurt anybody.

"What did you used to fear?" Tanya asked.

"An alpha werewolf." I confessed.

"What?" The sisters gasped.

"He was a huge, quadrupedal werewolf with red eyes." I told them.

"Was? Did you kill him?" Tanya asked.

"With help, yes." I admitted.

"Are there werewolves in New York?" Irina asked.

"If there are, I haven't come across any." I replied, staring at the snowy footprints the sisters left behind.

"What kind of werewolf was it?" Kate asked.

"The hairy half-man kind." I answered.

"Like Children of the Moon or regular werewolves?" Tanya asked.

"Regular." I informed them.

"I've never seen a werewolf before of any kind." Irina told me. The others agreed.

"You don't really see them in Alaska." Kate shrugged as we made our way back to the house.


	3. Another Damn Trip

My two days in Alaska were up and I was on my way back to my house in Ithaca, New York. I sat in the car with Alice who seemed more excitable than usual.

"I know you just got back, but you and I are going to Toronto!" She squealed.

"Why?" I asked, wondering why she suddenly decided to go to Canada.

"You start the semester at Cornell soon and we won't get to travel for awhile. Besides, I love Canada." She replied.

"Okay...You do realize the semester starts on Monday, right? Today is Wednesday." I reminded her.

"It's fine. I already booked our flight! Will you go with me? Please." Alice begged.

"Of course I will." I smiled at her. "But why just me and you?"

"Because you're unhappy here. I want to help distract you." Alice admitted.

"Thank you, Alice." I said sincerely. Now that I had come back from Alaska, I needed more distracting.

"We'll go this weekend because the rest of us have school this week." Alice told me. We arrived home and the Cullens greeted me when I got inside.

"Any information from Eleazar?" Carlisle asked.

"He doesn't know anyone with a defensive talent that could allow someone to put the note in my car, undetected. He did say that it is possible, though." I reported. "He said that if there is someone like that, the Volturi would likely pester the vampire to join them."

"The Volturi are always looking for gifted vampires." Carlisle nodded.

"As much as I want to find out who left this note, I don't want to risk going to the Volturi. I don't know how they would react to someone like me." I sighed.

"Afraid of the Ancients, Sum?" Emmett teased. I rolled my eyes at him.

"So unless the Denalis or us bump into a scentless vampire, there's nothing I can do about it." I summarized.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Carlisle responded.

"Me too." I attempted to lighten the mood by laughing.

After talking to the Cullens about their new jobs and schooling, I went to bed.

The rest of the week was slow, like usual. I had watched Batman Returns twice, stared at the note for four hours and slept. That was basically all I did until Saturday arrived.

"It's time!" Alice grinned, poking her head in my bedroom door.

"I know." I grinned back, holding up my bag of clothes. When travelling, I didn't need to bring much else. I didn't need to brush my teeth or shower or do my makeup and I didn't menstruate. Sorry for the bold information, but I wasn't joking. Many basic things humans do, I didn't have to. This resulted in a light suitcase. I did always carry a tooth and hairbrush to avoid looking absolutely bizarre in an airport.

"I haven't been to Canada in a long time." Alice told me on the drive there.

"I went hunting there not too long ago." Emmett commented as he took a left turn. Emmett had offered to drive us to the airport.

"I went to Quebec once to study the French-Canadian culture." I responded.

"Merde." Emmett chuckled.

"Tu es bête." I laughed.

"Merci." Emmett replied.

"Vous ne parlez pas." Alice joined in.

"I thought you were going to Toronto, not Paris." Emmett joked. Alice and I ignored Emmett's remark.

"Thanks for the ride." I thanked Emmett when we arrived at the Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport.

"That's what big brothers are for." Emmett responded, giving me a bone-crushing hug. He ruffled my canary-coloured hair before releasing me. I gasped for breath dramatically to add effect. He chuckled loudly.

"Alright, ladies. Have fun." Emmett waved a final goodbye before driving back to our house in Ithaca.

"Let's get going, then." Alice chirped, skipping into the airport. We took our passports and tickets then headed to our designated terminal.

"Welcome to Toronto." A flight attendant welcomed as we exited the plane. We walked through the airport after grabbing our luggage.

"Do you want something to eat?" Alice asked.

"Yeah, I could do with something." I nodded, heading towards a Subway. I ordered a sub and began eating.

"Is there anything in particular you want to do while we're in Toronto?" Alice asked. I swallowed my food before replying.

"I don't really have anything in mind." I responded.

"Good, because I have everything planned." Alice clapped her hands together. "Do you mind waiting here with our luggage? I'm just going to get something for Jasper from the souvenir store." She stood up and paused, waiting for my response.

"Go ahead. I'll be here." I encouraged. I looked up at a clock in the airport which also had the times of arrivals and departures that would happen soon. My heart felt a sting of sadness as I saw 'California' on the arrivals board. I could almost hear Stiles' sarcasm and smell Scott's dog odor. I looked away from the board and instead at the full tables of people. I continued eating my sandwich, looking forward to distraction.

"Mind if I sit here?" An almost familiar voice asked. It took me a moment to realize that the person was talking to me.

"Yeah, go ah-" I stopped when I looked up at the person. A brown-eyed boy with a slightly uneven jaw stared down at me. My jaw hung open a little. "Scott! Scott? What the hell are you doing here?" I gasped, frozen in my chair.

"Alice said you needed cheering up." Scott replied. I wrapped my arms tightly around him, surprised yet ecstatic to see him again. Realizing that the only reason he may have came here was that Alice possibly bribed him made me let go.

"Sorry." I apologized. "I just can't believe you're here. How much did Alice bribe you with?"

"Well, we're certainly not going to be behind on bills for awhile." Scott laughed. "Also, she said you'd do any homework I may have missed while I was here."

"That's fine. Where is it?" I asked.

"I didn't bring it." He answered.

"How am I supposed to do your homework if it isn't here?" I asked, suddenly growing suspicious.

"It's in Beacon Hills." He replied.

"Why did Alice bring me to Toronto?" I asked him seriously.

"You're going back." Alice admitted from behind me. I spun around to face her.

"What?" I gasped.

"You're not happy back home." She frowned.

"I could have been. I was about to go to University." I protested.

"You weren't going to be happy. When we lived in Beacon Hills is when you were the happiest any of us have ever seen you." She said. "That's why I had Scott come here to take you back."

"What about you guys?" I asked, tears forming in my eyes. "I won't see you often."

"It's okay. You're going to be very happy in Beacon Hills. Trust me." She winked. "Besides, we'll come visit when we can and you can visit us." Alice added. I hugged Alice, letting out a deep breath.

"I'll miss you." I told her. "All of you."

"You're going to miss your flight if you don't go." Alice warned me, laughing.

"You gave Scott a flight to and back within a similar time frame?" I asked. "He's going to look like a drug dealer."

"Considering he doesn't have drugs and now has a friend with him, I think he'll be fine." She assured, which caused Scott's heart to return to a normal pace.

"Thank you, Alice." I thanked her quietly, giving her a final hug.

"Don't tell Bella anything about us, okay?" Alice said.

"I know." I nodded, turning towards Scott.

"Let's go." He decided. I followed him to where our plane would be.

"How's Stiles?" I asked Scott, nervous for the answer.

"Not good." Scott confessed.

"Do you think he'll be mad at me?" I asked.

"I don't know. I think he just misses you." Scott replied.

"I'll give him space if he needs it." I responded. "How's Lydia?"

"She went missing for awhile. She just escaped the hospital." He answered.

"Did she turn?" I gasped.

"No." He shook his head. "She was in the woods, naked, when we found her though."

"She was naked?" I raised one of my eyebrows.

"She was showering at the hospital right before she left. Stiles was at the hospital talking to my mom. He heard a scream and then she was gone." Scott explained.

"Is she okay now?" I asked.

"Well, everybody at school knows what happened so that's awkward." Scott answered.

"Oh, right. School! Did Alice register me back at school?" I asked. He nodded.

"You have all the same classes again." He told me, making me grin.

"Do you know how Bella is doing?" I suddenly asked him.

"She's miserable. At lunch, she sits where the Cullens used to sit. She doesn't talk to anyone and I haven't seen her eat." Scott admitted. I frowned.

"I thought I wasn't handling the move well." I sighed. "She's going to interrogate me when she sees me." We were called to line up and prepare our passports for boarding.

"I hope this is the last time I go to an airport for awhile. This will be the fifth plane I've been on in just a few months." I told him, taking my passport out.

"Why so many?" He asked.

"I flew to Alaska to ask our cousins about the note I got." I answered.

"What note?" Confusion poured out of his words.

"I didn't tell you about the note?" I asked, shocked. I had had the note for so long now, I hadn't realized that Deaton was the only person in Beacon Hills that knew about it.

"No." He shook his head. We showed the woman our passports and boarded the plane. After finding our seats, I continued.

"The day before the Cullens decided to leave, I found a note in my car. It said 'you look so much like your mother'. I couldn't catch a scent and neither could the Cullens. Deaton said it probably wasn't a werewolf who left it." I told him.

"Maybe it was a prank?" Scott suggested.

"That's what I thought at first but I'm not so sure." I replied. "Oh, I almost forgot. How's it going with Allison?"

"Her dad kind of tried to kill me. We're not supposed to be seen with each other." Scott sighed.

"But you're dating anyways?" I guessed. He nodded.

"I should probably tell you now." Scott started. "There's a new Argent in Beacon Hills."

"What?" My eyes widened.

"Chris and Kate's dad." He told me.

"I don't like the sound of that." I frowned.

"They already killed an omega. Allison's grandpa, Gerard, cut him in half." He informed me. "He called it something with a long name…"

"Hemicorporectomy?" I guessed, thinking back to the time I went to medical school. It also helped that Carlisle was a doctor. "What's an omega?" I wasn't completely familiar with werewolf ranking.

"A werewolf without a pack." He replied. "He said that there's no code anymore. He basically announced war."

"Oh no." I sighed. Scott looked like he was about to say something else. "Oh god, what else?"

"Stiles and I think there's another werewolf." He confessed.

"Who?" I asked, wondering if I should have stayed in Ithaca.

"We don't know yet. There's a Lacrosse practice tomorrow. Stiles has an idea." Scott replied.

"I have a feeling that hell is about to break loose in Beacon Hills." I commented.

"Me too." Scott let out a sigh.

"Hey, Scott?" I asked when we were twenty minutes away from landing.

"Yeah?" He looked at me.

"Did Alice tell you my living arrangements?" I asked. I didn't know if I would be staying in the Cullen house again or if she bought me a new place.

"Yeah, she did. She got you a place near Stiles' house. Everything is all ready for you." He told me.

"I'm glad I don't have to live in the Cullen house without them." I smiled. I thought about Stiles and how he would react to seeing me. I didn't even know if he knew. "Does Stiles know I'm coming back?"

"Not really..." Scott smiled guiltily.

"He doesn't know at all?" I raised my eyebrows.

"No." He shook his head.

"Great." I sighed. "I guess I know the first thing I'm doing when we get to Beacon Hills." The plane landed and we exited the plane. After picking up my suitcase, Scott put something in my hands. I looked down to see familiar keys. Once in the parking lot, I pressed the car locator button. A grey Audi emitted a horn and the lights flashed. I grinned. I was glad to see my car again. Scott and I got into my vehicle that I was very pleased to see again, then we drove towards Beacon Hills.


	4. Batman And Catwoman

I stepped through the door of my new house. It was average sized and already furnished. The furniture complimented the home nicely and I enjoyed the interior and exterior appearance of the house. I was overall pleased with my new home. After unpacking my things in my new bedroom, I made my way to a grocery store to stock my fridge and pantry as well as picking up a new cellphone. I looked across the street at Stiles' house. My heart pounded, worried about seeing him. I checked the time. Stiles' father wouldn't be home and it was Sunday, so Stiles wouldn't be at school. I left my house and made my way to Stiles' front door. After taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door. No answer. I phoned Scott, entering the number he had given me when I had dropped him off home.

"Hey, Scott." I spoke into the phone. "Do you know where Stiles is?"

"My mom said he's at the hospital." Scott replied.

"Why?" I worried.

"Apparently he isn't sleeping much so he's taking a nap." He told me. I felt guilty.

"Okay, thanks." I hung up and climbed inside my Audi. I drove to the hospital and approached Melissa McCall.

"Summer? I thought you moved." Her eyes widened.

"Yeah, I moved back. It wasn't working out where I was." I responded.

"Well, tell Carlisle to get his butt back here because we need him." Melissa laughed.

"He's doing well with his new job so I don't think that's likely." I told her. "Is Stiles still here?"

"Yeah, thank god you're here. He's been different since you left." Melissa told me with concern in her voice. "Follow me." I followed her down the hospital hall until we arrived at a room.

"He might be sleeping, so just be careful." She warned. I nodded as Melissa let me in the room. My heart stopped when I saw Stiles. His hair was slightly longer than when I last saw him, but it was still a buzzcut. He was sound asleep and I didn't want to wake him, so I sat down in the chair beside the bed. I wanted to reach out and touch his hand, but he almost seemed foreign now. I felt that he may be uncomfortable with me touching him at the moment, so I kept my distance. I didn't want to wake him up to a surprise like my return. I let him sleep. His chest rose and fell back down softly as he slept.

An hour had gone by and he finally stirred. He rolled over, eyes squinting.

"I'm still dreaming." He commented before rolling back onto his back and closing his eyes.

"Stiles." I spoke.

"Not now. I was just getting to the good part." Stiles mumbled. Something told me that I didn't want to know what he was dreaming about.

"Yes, now." I argued.

"Mmm." Stiles chuckled. "Your dirty." He puckered his lips and kissed the air. "Come here..."

"Okay, that's enough of that. Stiles, get up. I'm not sure you would want me to come over there if you realized I'm actually back in Beacon Hills." I interrupted him.

"Why?" He mumbled.

"Scott brought me back. He said something about another Argent, Gerard. Have fun dreaming about Allison's Granddad." I remarked. Stiles grimaced.

"I liked my old dream better." He slurred.

"Then get up." I suggested. After staring at his sleeping body for a few more minutes, I decided to try again. "Stiles!" I hissed. He opened his eyes, awake and alert.

"This whole wake up but I'm still actually dreaming chain is getting old." Stiles frowned.

"You're not dreaming, Stiles." I told him.

"Summer?" He sat up. I nodded slowly. He eyes widened as he stared at me. Like the emotional person I was, my eyes began to water.

"I came back." I told him.

"Why?" He asked, confusion written on his face.

"I wasn't happy where I was so Alice and Scott brought me back to Beacon Hills." I admitted.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?" He asked.

"I didn't even know until I was at the airport and Scott spoke to me." I told the truth.

"What airport?"

"Toronto." I answered.

"Scott went to Toronto?" Stiles asked in disbelief. I nodded. Stiles and I stared at each other for a few minutes in silence. It was an uncomfortable silence until Stiles spoke.

"Sorry. I just can't believe you're here. I haven't seen you in months." He whispered.

"Me too. I never really wanted to leave Beacon Hills, but I thought it was for the best." I replied, sitting on the hospital bed beside him. I didn't sit too close just in case he wasn't ready to be friends again.

"Was it hard?" He asked.

"Being away from you?" I clarified. He didn't react, but I could tell that's what he meant. "I watched Batman Returns more times than I've moved." It was a slight exaggeration, but it wasn't far from the truth.

"Me too." He replied with a small smile.

"I'm really sorry I left." I apologized sincerely as a tear rolled down my cheek. "I didn't get a phone because I was scared I would break my promise and call you. I wanted to call, but it probably would've hurt us more than if I didn't."

"It's fine." Stiles replied.

"Stiles, I really hurt both of us by leaving. I should've stayed." I sighed.

"You had to pick between your family and people you haven't known for very long. I don't blame you for your choice." He responded.

"I was so torn by the choice. I had to stay behind with Edward to give me enough time to make a decision. It was really hard. When Scott came to Toronto, I knew I couldn't pick the wrong thing this time. I was really worried you wouldn't forgive me. I still am." I confessed, worried about his next woods.

"I'm not mad. I just really missed you." Stiles opened up. I wanted to hug him, so much that it hurt, but I didn't want to march back into Beacon Hills assuming he would welcome me back with open arms. I perfectly understood any hidden anger he may have.

"I missed you too, Stiles. It took every inch of self control I had to stay away and not call you." I confessed, fighting the tears that threatened to escape. Stiles wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me into him. My eyes widened, shock filling my system. When I first learned that I was returning to Beacon Hills, I thought Stiles would resent my return. I circled my arms around his waist and rested my head on his shoulder.

"I can't believe you're here..." Stiles repeated his earlier words. I inhaled Stiles' familiar and welcoming scent, still shocked I was actually with him again.

"Stiles, I don't expect you to welcome me back or jump back into what we had before. I understand whatever you decide." I told him. "You don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with and you certainly don't have to make any decisions until you're ready to. You don't even have to say anything right now." Stiles followed the latter, remaining silent. He looked down at me with a smile on his lips. He held onto me a little tighter as I closed my eyes, relaxing into him. My nerves began to calm down, replaced by euphoria.

"Did Scott fill you in?" Stiles asked after a long moment of sitting together quietly. It hadn't been an uncomfortable silence; it was very comfortable.

"Yeah, I said something about Gerard when I first came in here." I reminded him.

"That'll be why he came into my dream..." Stiles sighed.

"Sorry." I chuckled.

"Did all of you come back?" Stiles asked, referring to the Cullens.

"No." I shook my head. "Just me. Why? Do you miss Edward?" I teased.

"A little, but Bella does a lot." He replied.

"Scott told me she wasn't doing well. She probably blames herself for us leaving." I sighed, worrying about her. The hospital room door clicked and Melissa poked her head in.

"Stiles, you're free to go whenever you'd like." She told him. Stiles let me go and stood up.

"Is your Jeep here?" I asked him.

"No, my dad dropped me off." He answered.

"Come on, I'll take you home." I offered. Stiles followed me to the hospital parking lot.

"You got your car back?" He asked when he saw my Audi.

"Yeah, Alice got it back for me." I nodded. We climbed into the vehicle and I drove towards Stiles' house.

I parked in his driveway and we went upstairs to his room. Something on his desk caught my eye. I crossed the room to look at the small shining object. There in front of me lay an SD card that had been snapped into two pieces. I looked up at Stiles with widened eyes.

"You kept my SD card?" I gasped. He looked at me, pain in his eyes. I strode over to him and pulled his body against mine, softly hugging him. "I'll never stop being sorry for leaving, Stiles." He returned my hug, resting his chin on my head which I had pressed against his chest. I remembered when I snapped my SD card in half and threw it to the ground. He had been in the Jeep, meaning that he got out to go look for it. I wanted to tell him that I'd never leave again, but I knew I'd have to at some point. Stiles released me and crossed the room to switch on the television. He popped a film in and sat on his bed, motioning for me to join him. I grinned and sat beside him. Part of me was scared to show affection in fear of scaring him away and part of me wanted to smother him with affection. I hadn't seen him in months and it was painful. Now, I finally got to see him again. The disc menu loaded and the title _Batman Returns_ exposed itself. My grin got wider. Every time I had seen this movie since leaving Beacon Hills, it had been depressing. This time would be different. We needed to remove the label of sadness from this film and instead think of it as a happy one.

We watched the film, inspecting Bruce Wayne's journey as Batman, Oswald Cobblepot's as the Penguin and Selina Kyle's as Catwoman. As I watched Catwoman destroy a building, I suddenly became aware of Stiles' position. He was lying on his side, facing me. I rolled over to face him so our faces were aligned. I studied his face, inspecting every detail from his moles to his caramel eyes to his sharp cupid's bow. His eyes wandered along my face, taking the same journey mine had. His nose brushed against mine as his face crept closer to mine. I stared deeply into his eyes as his lips grazed over my own. My heart beat as fast as a marathon runner as I gently pressed my lips on his. His heart matched mine, falling only just in second place. I removed my lips to look at him, giving him the 'are you sure?' look.

"Stiles, I'm not going to come back into Beacon Hills like I can just waltz back into your life as everything I was before." I said softly. "You can take your time if you need it." His hand slid onto my hand gently. He leaned in again, planting a sweet kiss against my warm lips. I nodded at him, understanding his response.

"Let me know if I push any boundaries." I told him. I curled into his chest and he wrapped his arms around me. I snuggled against him, enjoying his warmth. We continued to watch the film that had just recently meant sadness to us.

If someone would've told me that on my first night back in Beacon Hills, I'd fall asleep with Stiles, I'd think that they were joking. Never in a million years would I have thought he would welcome me back immediately, but here I was in his arms.

Light poked through the blinds, creating lines on the floor. I looked up at Stiles who was still asleep. My heart swelled, filling with what I assumed was adoration for the boy in front of me. I smiled up at him, still shocked he was in front of me. His eyes fluttered open, melted caramel in colour. He stared down at me as I stared up at him.

"Ready for your second first day of school?" He asked, a grin forming on his face.

"I'm nervous." I confessed. "I'm just glad I have you and Scott already in the know."

"You'll be fine." He assured me. "You returning is definitely not the weirdest thing to happen to the school lately. Our group is basically the weirdest group there is. Scott was weird anyways, Lydia ran naked through the woods, Allison had a killer aunt...You'll fit in fine."

"Thanks." I nodded, getting up.

"I can give you a ride if you want?" Stiles offered. The corners of my lips tugged up into a smile.

"I'd like that." I agreed. "It'll take about five minutes or less to go home and get ready." I told him, heading towards the door.

"That's really fast...where did you move?" He asked, eyebrow raised. I told him my address and watched his face twist into realization. "That's right across the street!"

"Alice bought it." I laughed. I left him staring in shock as I ran across the road to my house. I changed into alternate clothes and made sure I approved of my own appearance. My doorbell rang and I skipped down the stairs to answer it. I swung open the door to find a short, bearded man with a couple cardboard boxes.

"Delivery for...Summer Blake." He announced, looking at me. The boxes smelled like Alice, so I assumed it was the rest of my belongings.

"Thank you." I nodded. He walked back to his car and I carried the boxes up to my bedroom. I locked my front door once I was out and returned to Stiles' house. He let me in with a raised brow on his face.

"Sorry I'm late." I apologized. "Alice sent the rest of my stuff over so I had to take the boxes upstairs." He nodded, sticking a toothbrush in his mouth.

Once we were both ready to go to school, we got into the familiar blue Jeep and drove towards a place I hadn't been to in months.


	5. My Second First Day

"Ready?" Stiles asked in the parking lot. I nodded, taking a deep breath.

"I've done this tons of times." I reminded him.

"But how many of those times did you have friends?" He countered, raising his eyebrows.

"I was trying not to be nervous." I admitted.

"Oops. You'll be fine." His mouth formed an 'o'.

"Okay, let's go." I nodded, getting out of the Jeep. He followed me to the door where I paused. I worried about the stares that I would get. I had been gone for a few months and now I'm suddenly back. People were bound to stare.

Stiles noticed my discomfort while I walked into the school. He reached for my hand, encasing it in his own. I let out a deep breath and gave him a small smile. I didn't think Stiles would ever fully realize just how much I appreciated him. Every head turned to face me. My heart rate picked up speed as the wondrous faces of Beacon Hills High School faced me. For a girl who usually didn't stand out and didn't socialize, being stared at by everyone as I passed through the hallway was an uncomfortable situation. Allison's voice filled my ears as she talked to Lydia. Her head turned as she put something in her locker when her eyes met mine. She dropped her book, eyes locked on me. Lydia turned around to meet Allison's gaze.

"You better explain yourself." Stiles spoke, referring to their confused faces. I agreed. "See you in class." He departed, heading to class while I approached the girls.

"What are you doing here? I thought you moved." Allison gasped.

"I did, but it didn't really work out there." I explained.

"And Stiles just welcomed you back like nothing happened?" Lydia raised a perfect brow.

"I thought he would be mad at me. I didn't want to force myself back into his life but he wasn't angry. He was just happy to see me again. I do _not_ deserve him." I told them, still just as shocked that Stiles didn't send me back to Ithaca.

"Are you dating again?" Allison asked.

"I don't know." I repeated the once familiar words when I had told Allison about Stiled and I the first time.

"You were holding hands." Lydia reminded me.

"I was nervous to come back so he held my hand for comfort." I confessed.

"You _so_ do not deserve him." Lydia agreed.

"I know." I sighed, knowing very well that Stiles was too good for me.

"You owe him." Lydia said, hinting at something else.

"What?" I asked, suspicion growing inside my mind.

"You know, show him how much you appreciate him." Lydia shrugged.

"What, sex?" I coughed.

"Yeah. Allison did it. Don't you think Stiles deserves it?" She shrugged again. I ignored the mental image of Allison and Scott together, disgust filling me.

"I mean, yeah, but…" I struggled for words. I knew this was payback for leaving them. "Do you really think I should or are you just trying to get back at me for leaving?"

"Hmm...both, I suppose." Lydia laughed. "I'm glad you're back because Allison here been all Scott and no shopping with Lydia."

"I will make it up to you both. Allison, if you go shopping with Lydia and I, I will buy you an entire outfit." I promised. Allison grinned and so did Lydia. "The people of Beacon Hills are way too nice for me. All of you are being way too cool about this. Maybe Finstock and Harris are waiting to verbally assault me."

"Probably." They nodded. We all headed to our classes as the bell rung. I sat behind Scott and Stiles, earning more looks from people.

After our first few classes, we all walked towards the cafeteria.

"I'm serious. It isn't like the last full moon. I don't feel the same." Scott told us.

"Why did you come get me before a full moon? Couldn't you have waited until after?" I sighed.

"Alice was pretty persuasive." Scott shrugged. "Anyways, I'm serious. I feel different."

"Does that include the urge to maim and kill people like me?" Stiles sassed.

"I swear I don't have the urge to maim and kill you." Scott promised.

"You say that every full moon then the claws and fangs comr out and you end up running around screaming and howling. It's very stressful for me so I'm still locking your werewolf ass up." Stiles threatened. I didn't say anything because I hadn't been around for the past few full moons. I didn't know how Scott's control was now. I did notice the hair cut he got, though. His hair was shorter and gelled in the front where before it was long and covered his eyebrows, swept slightly to the side.

"I just noticed your hair. Nice haircut." I complimented. Both boys raised their eyebrows at me, probably because I just cut in the middle of their conversation about werewolves to talk about Scott's hair which has probably been that way for ages but I hadn't been around for it. Noticing their strange looks, I shut my lips.

"Thanks...You can lock me up, fine, but I think I'm more in control now. Especially since things are good with Allison." Scott continued.

"I'm aware how good things are with Allison." Stiles sighed.

"They're _really_ good." Scott grinned as we stopped by Stiles' locker.

"Thank you. I know." Stiles rolled his eyes.

"I mean like…. _really_ good." Scott emphasized.

"Okay! We get it! Now shut the hell up before I have the urge to maim and kill myself." Stiles replied, clearly unimpressed.

"Don't maim and kill yourself." I shook my head. Stiles smiled at me.

"Do you guys use something better than handcuffs now?" I asked.

"Much better." Stiles nodded. He opened his locker just as Coach Finstock passed by. A giant length of chain came rushing from Stiles' locker, link by link. Finstock slowly walked up to us, staring at the pile of chain on the floor.

"Part of me wants to ask. The other part of me says knowing will be much more disturbing than anything I could ever imagine, so I'm just going to walk away." The coach took a step back.

"Good. That's a wise choice." Stiles replied as Finstock continued down the hallway. We put the chain back in his locker and I held my tongue. I was tempted to point out that he could've just told me they had chains, but I didn't want to annoy either of them. We continued our journey to the cafeteria. When we arrived, an empty table apart from a single person caught my eye. The brown-haired girl that had once dated my adoptive brother sat at the old Cullen table.

"I need to go talk to her." I told the boys. They nodded, taking a seat. "Thanks. I'll see you in a bit." I approached Bella's table, my nerves skyrocketing in unthinkable anxiety. Bella had no food with her and no people. Her friends were sat at a completely different table, the one Bella used to sit at. I sat at Bella's table, studying her face. All eyes in the cafeteria were on us and I could understand why.

"Bella." I quietly alerted her of my presence. Her dull eyes raised to meet mine, widening when they took in who was sitting with the lonely girl.

"S-Summer?" Bella gasped. She raced around the table to where I was, gripping me in a tight hug. I wrapped my arms around her small figure.

"Hi, Bella." I greeted her.

"I heard you were back but I thought they were lying." She told me, tears forming in her chocolate eyes.

"I wasn't happy where I was so I came back." I admitted.

"Are the others back?" She asked as we both sat down again.

"No, just me." I broke the news to her. Her face scrunched up in pain.

"How is everyone?" Her broken voice asked.

"Good. They've gotten new jobs and gone back to school." I informed her.

"What about…" She didn't finish but I knew she meant Edward.

"He's travelling around the world." I told her. It wasn't a complete lie, I just left out the part about his depression.

"It's too painful to say his name." She confessed. I nodded, not knowing what to say.

We ate our lunches, catching up. Eventually the topic of her friends came up.

"Have you hung out with your friends lately?" I asked. "Mike, Jessica, Angela, Erin?"

"Eric." She corrected.

"I couldn't really remember their names, sorry." I chuckled.

"No, I haven't. I don't even know what I've been doing these past few months. My dad is really worried." She admitted.

"You could come shopping with Allison, Lydia and I. You can bring Jessica and Angela." I offered, hoping Lydia wouldn't kill me for inviting random girls.

"Okay, my dad will probably have a heart attack." Bella let out a light laugh. "I still hate shopping though."

"You don't have to buy clothes. You can just hang out or visit other shops." I reminded her.

"Maybe we could see a movie after?" Bella suggested. I grinned, happy that she was making an effort.

"Deal, I'll talk to Lydia and Allison. You can talk to Jessica and Angela." I nodded, standing up.

"Wait, right now?" Bella's eyes widened.

"Yep. I've heard you haven't even spoken to them for ages. They're probably worried." I looked over at her friends and listened as they were chatting away about giant animals.

"Okay." She sighed. I gave her my new number.

"Call me if you need anything." I told her, walking back towards Scott and Stiles. As I passed, I listened closely to Bella's friends' conversation.

"Apparently it killed some hikers." One of them said. She had brown curls and was chewing gum in her mouth.

"Some say it's the size of a horse." The black-haired girl with glasses responded.

"I heard it was a giant bear." Bella told them as she sat down. My eyes widened and I quickly returned to the boys.

"Have you guys been hearing anything about a giant bear that has been killing people?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's been on the news." Scott nodded.

"What if it is something supernatural?" I asked, sitting beside Stiles. Both of their eyes bulged with realization.

"We should keep an eye out for that." Scott decided. I nodded. The bell rang and we made our way to our last few classes of the day. The classes were filled with more stares, as I had expected.

The next morning, the boys had an early Lacrosse practice which I decided to spectate. I sat down on the bleachers beside Stiles and Scott who were tying their shoelaces and preparing for their practice.

Stiles turned to me and spoke with a hushed voice, "Scott thinks there's another werewolf."

"What? Here?" I looked around the field.

"In the locker room, he smelled another werewolf." He told me.

"Who?" I asked.

"I couldn't tell." Scott spoke up. "I need to be closer."

"Luckily for us, I have a plan." Stiles announced. "I told Coach you're switching with Danny today."

"But I hate playing goal." He protested.

"I told you I had a plan; this is the plan." Stiles reminded him.

"Oh." Scott realized.

"I'll let you know if I smell anything." I told him. "Too bad this isn't a game...you could've gotten them benched so I could smell them or something." The guys nodded, heading out to the field. I eyed my catch up work from all my classes then raced through it until I was complete. It didn't take long considering I had done the stuff tons of times. I looked up to see a Lacrosse ball zooming through the air towards my face. I used this as a chance to find out who the second werewolf was. I let it slam against my face, bouncing off my cheek. I had turned my face to avoid hitting my nose. It would've looked very suspicious if I got hit in the nose without getting a nose bleed. I let my head swing back to add effect. The Lacrosse team stopped to witness my 'injury'. The team and Finstock stood shocked, waiting for me to cry most likely.

"Someone get her to the office! Whichever one of you idiots did that could have broken her face!" Finstock screamed. I made a mental note to purchase some makeup to bruise my eye. Scott and Stiles were staring at me with shock. I picked up the ball and stumbled over to the players. I tripped and a player caught me. I took a subtle breath, revealing that there was indeed a werewolf nearby but whoever caught me was not that werewolf. I walked over to the coach and handed him the Lacrosse ball.

"Are you all deaf? Someone take her to a nurse or something!" Coach roared.

"I'll go." A vaguely familiar student volunteered, looking off into the distance. I followed his gaze to see Stiles' father and another officer speaking.

"Do you see the Lahey kid?" Sheriff asked the other. "We need to find this kid quick. He may have murdered his father."

"Thank you, Lahey!" Coach sighed. The boy approached me and quickly escorted me towards the school. A strong dog scent filled my nose as the Lacrosse player guided me. I shot my head around to look at Scott and Stiles. I darted my eyes between the player and the police officers.

"It's him isn't it? He's the werewolf?" Scott asked in a quiet voice from across the field. I nodded.

"Please don't tell anyone." The player spoke.

"What?" I raised my eyebrow.

"Just don't tell anyone." He repeated.

"About the police or the werewolf thing?" I asked.

"Either." He responded.

"I won't." I agreed. "Except for Scott. He already knows."

"I heard he was searching for the other werewolf." The boy sighed.

"He found you, whoever you are." I replied.

"Isaac Lahey." He told me.

"Summer Blake." I introduced myself. "What do the police want from you?"

"My father got murdered." He admitted.

"Did you kill him?" I asked.

"No, I have no idea who did." He replied.

"What if it was those giant bear things from the news?" I suggested.

"Maybe, but _they_ obviously don't care." Isaac sighed, referring to the police.

"How in control are you during the full moon?" I asked.

"Not very." He confessed.

"You'll probably break out of one of those holding cells." I guessed. I had trained to become a police officer once when I lived in Washington. The holding cells couldn't hold a werewolf or me. I didn't know how strong the ones in the Sheriff's department was, but I doubted it was capable of containing a werewolf.

"Probably." Lahey frowned.

"Who's your alpha?" I asked, listening to the footsteps behind us getting closer. "It's Derek, isn't it?" I pushed away the thoughts of Derek raking his claws down his Uncle's neck, making him the alpha.

"Yeah, it is." Isaac sighed.

"We need to get you out of there. I'll see what I can do." I offered.

"Thanks." He nodded.

"Isaac Lahey." A stern voice sounded from behind us. We both turned around to face Sheriff Stilinski and the other officer.

"Yes?" I heard Isaac's heart pick up.

"We're bringing you in for the investigation of your father's murder." Stilinski told him, shooting me weird looks. They clipped handcuffs over his wrists and the other officer held him by the cuffs. "Take him to the car. I'll be there momentarily." The officer nodded, leading Isaac away. Stilinski turned to me.

"Hello, Sheriff." I greeted him with a nod.

"Summer, what the hell are you doing back? I thought you and your family moved." He asked.

"I came back yesterday. I didn't like it where I was. I missed everyone here." I told him.

"Is that so?" He narrowed his eyes. "Do you mind telling me why you were with Isaac Lahey?"

"I was watching the Lacrosse practice then I got hit in the face by a ball. He was taking me to get ice from the office." I reported.

"You seem fine to me." He noticed.

"I tend to bruise late. I didn't get hit too hard so I think I'll be fine." I told him.

"Did you talk to Stiles?" The Sheriff's voice softened.

"Yeah, I did." I nodded, softening my face at the thought of Stiles being miserable while I was gone.

"Did he...forgive you?" Stilinski asked.

"For some reason, he did." I sighed.

"Well, I'm glad you're back. Just, stay away from that Lahey kid for now." He warned.

"Will do." I lied. He nodded and left the building. I grabbed some ice from the office and returned to the Lacrosse field. The practice finished and I called the guys over to fill them in.

"Okay, so the police think he murdered his father. He didn't." I started. "He doesn't have much control on full moons. We have to get him out of there or expose werewolves to everyone."

"Stiles, would those holding cells hold him?" Scott asked.

"No, probably not." Stiles shook his head.

"Didn't think so." I sighed.

"You're right though, Summer." Scott agreed. "We have to get him out."

"We better talk to his alpha. Wanna guess who that is?" I asked with sarcastic joy.

"Derek Hale." Scott sighed.

"That's the one." I joined him in sighing. The boys headed to the locker room to change while I waited outside. Once they finished changing and left the locker room, we continued to discuss Isaac's lockup.

"Why would Derek choose Isaac?" Scott asked.

"Peter told me that if the bite doesn't turn you, it could kill you." Stiles spoke. "Maybe teenagers have a better chance of surviving?"

"Doesn't being a teenager mean your dad can't hold him?" Scott asked.

"Not without enough evidence." I replied.

"Or a witness." Stiles added, then his face morphed into realization. We hurried to our class which was with the horrifying . Stiles turned to Danny.

"Danny!" He hissed.

"What?" Danny raised his eyebrow.

"Where's Jackson?" Stiles asked him.

"In the principal's office talking to your dad." Danny answered.

"Why?" Stiles questioned.

"Maybe because he lives across the street from Isaac." Danny turned his face away to pay attention. Stiles spun around to face us.

"Witness." Scott gasped.

"We gotta get to the principal's office." Stiles decided.

"How?" Scott wondered.

"I think I have an idea." Stiles smirked and I prepared myself for something extraordinarily embarrassing and unnecessary.


	6. Killing Mr Stilinski

sat at his desk quietly while Stiles ran up to the front. I had a feeling I was going to want to punch him after this.

"Hey, !" Stiles greeted him.

"What do you want, ?" Harris' bored eyes met Stiles'.

"It's about Summer." He started, causing me to immediately join him at the teacher's desk.

"What?" I narrowed my eyes.

"Summer has um... _womanly_ issues that she needs to care of. You know, happens every month. May we be excused?" He asked. My cheeks flushed red and my blood boiled with rage.

"Why the hell do you need to go with her and why couldn't she have just asked herself?" sighed, disgust present on his face.

"Because, _he's_ the one who is menstruating and needs something from my locker!" I glared at Stiles. A loud chuckle sounded from the back of the room and I turned to see Scott laughing to himself.

"Summer, take _Miss_ Stilinski out of here and while you're out, you can both stop by the office and explain to the principal why you decided to interrupt my class to discuss 's apparent uterus." glared at both of us before turning to Scott. "McCall, you and your giggling can join them in the office." If I had been a werewolf, I would've torn Stiles' face apart with both claws and fangs. We walked through the hallway and it took massive amounts of self control not to kill Stiles.

"Dude, you really pissed her off." Scott told Stiles. I turned to glare at both of them.

"Of all the reasons we could have gotten kicked out of class, you chose that?" I growled at Stiles. "What about swearing at him, or throwing something at him, or talking really loudly or something?"

"Oh, I didn't think of that." Stiles shrugged.

" _I_ have the urge to maim and kill you." I hissed. "If your dad wasn't here, I _would_ kill you." We sat outside the office, waiting to be invited in. I could hear the voices of Jackson and Sheriff Stilinski from inside.

"So you're telling me that you knew Isaac's father was hitting him?" Sheriff Stilinski's voice made its way through my ears.

"Hitting? He was kicking the crap out of him." Jackson responded. My eyes widened at the words he spoke. I didn't know Isaac well, but nobody deserved that. Except maybe Stiles right now. Getting beaten would provide him with a reason to kill his father though.

"Did you ever say anything to anyone? Parents, teachers?" Stilinski asked.

"Nope. It's not my problem." Jackson's voice travelled through the office walls, making me want to punch him a bit more than I wanted to punch Stiles.

"No, no. Of course not. You know, it's funny that the kids getting beaten are the ones who least deserve it." Sheriff sassed the young Jackass. I chuckled lightly, knowing exactly where Stiles got his sass from.

"You and your dad are basically the same person." I laughed quietly to Stiles, forgetting I was mad at him.

"Yeah. Wait, what?" Jackson's voice filled with realization when speaking to Stilinski.

"I think we're done here." The Sheriff spoke. Footsteps grew closer as the Sheriff made his way to the door. Stiles quickly raised a magazine in front of his face. The Sheriff stopped and raised a single brow at the three of us sat outside the office. I pointed at the two boys, showing the Sheriff that I wasn't responsible for getting sent to the office.

"Hi, Scott. Hi, Summer." The Sheriff sighed, walking down the hallway.

"Hi…" Scott attempted feebly. More footsteps came closer and the smell of medication filled my nose.

"Boys, girl. Come in." An elderly man welcomed us into the office. I didn't recognize the man as he wasn't the principal last time I was here but something told me something was wrong with him because it spiked the hearts of the boys beside me. We all sat down in his office, studying his wrinkled face.

"Let's take a look at your files, shall we?" He started, searching through his filing cabinet. "Names?"

"Scott McCall, Stiles Stilinski and Summer Blake." I answered quickly.

"Scott McCall. Academically not the most accomplished, but it seems you've become quite the star athlete. . Oh, perfect grades but little to no extracurriculars. Maybe you should try Lacrosse." The new principal searched the files.

"Actually, I'm already-" Stiles began to protest.

"Summer Blake. Straight A student, no extracurriculars. It seems you used to go to this school but moved then returned again. Why is that?" Principal Nameless asked.

"I wasn't happy where I had moved to so I came back." I explained for the hundredth time.

"Interesting. Hold on. McCall, you're the Scott that used to date my granddaughter." The Principal suddenly noticed. That's when I realized why Scott and Stiles had been so nervous. Gerard Argent was the new principal. I took a sharp intake of breath, trying to remain silent.

"We were dating but not anymore. Not dating, not seeing anything of each other or doing anything with each other...at all." Scott frantically searched for words. I rolled my eyes at his behaviour.

"Relax, Scott. You look like you're about to crack a cyanide pill with your teeth." Gerard chuckled softly.

"Just a hard breakup." Scott covered up.

"Oh. That's too bad. You seem like a pretty nice kid to me." Gerard spoke. "Now listen, guys. Yes, I am the principal but I don't want you to think of me as the enemy."

"Is that so?" Stiles raised his eyebrow.

"However, this being my first day, I need to support my teachers. So, two of you are going to have to take the fall and stay behind for detention." He looked between Stiles and I. I sighed quietly, nodding.

"We'll stay." I agreed. What was it with Stiles getting me in trouble in my first week of being in Beacon Hills? I wondered. I had gotten in trouble with his dad in my first week last time. Stiles, eyes wide, looked between Scott, Gerard and I. His face fell into grumpiness when he realized he had to stay.

Gerard dismissed Scott and sent Stiles and I to ' room. We sat down and Harris gave us a look of what I could only imagine was pure hatred. I looked over at Stiles, feeling the anger die down. I was just glad to be with him again and that was more important to me than getting me in trouble using something that I would never experience. Using the chemistry tables as a shield from Harris' eyes, I slid my hand under the table and into Stiles' hand. He raised his eyebrows in alarm considering I had been infuriated with him not long ago.

"I thought you were mad at me." He looked at me with soft eyes.

"I was but it was worth it because it means I'm actually here again, not somewhere else in the world." I smiled. Stiles returned my smile before lowering his lips towards my face and softly placing them against my own.

"Stilinski! Blake! You get another half-hour in here! Leave your saliva exchange for your homes, not here." Harris narrowed his eyes.

"Worth it." I grinned, looking into the caramel-coloured eyes of Stiles Stilinski.

After detention, we made our way to the Sheriff's station. On our way there, Stiles called Allison who revealed that the Argents were on their way to kill Isaac. Allison had gone to Isaac's house with Scott after slowing one of the Argent men down.

We met up with Derek outside the station. I scowled at Derek for this was the first time I had seen him since he betrayed Scott. Derek's eyes widened as he took in my presence. He was probably quite shocked to see me here.

"I know how to get Isaac out, but the problem is getting past the front desk." Stiles started.

"What's she doing here?" Derek asked, glaring at me.

"I came back." I responded.

"And you're just going to let her back as if she never left?" He turned to Stiles. My stomach twisted as I remembered leaving.

"She never wanted to leave and she's better company than you are." Stiles defended me. "Now, how are we going to get past the front desk?"

"I'll distract her." Derek decided.

"You?" Stiles raised his eyebrow. "You're not going in there."

"I was exonerated." Derek reminded us.

"You're still a person of interest." Stiles sighed.

"An innocent person." Derek countered. I snorted, rolling my eyes.

"Cause killing your uncle just to become an alpha is innocent." I commented.

"Yeah, you're not that innocent. So, what's your plan, O Mighty Alpha werewolf." Stiles folded his arms.

"To distract her." Derek reminded him of his plan.

"Oh. How? By punching her in the face?" Stiles asked.

"Stiles is probably a better distraction." I suggested.

"Stiles?" Derek let out a single laugh. "You just like the way he looks for some unknown, hard-to-believe reason. That's how he distracts you." I swung my fist back and slammed it into his nose.

"Look! Now there's blood on your shirt. Run up to her and tell her you attacked by some random person. Then send her out on a little chase." I narrowed my eyes at the alpha. Stiles grinned at me, his eyes filled with amusement.

"I was actually thinking of talking to her." Derek scowled, wiping the blood away from his nose.

"You can't talk to me without me wanting to hurt you." I pointed out.

"Because you know me. She doesn't." Derek replied.

"Whatever. Just go in there and smooth talk her then. I'm sure she'll fall for you instantly." Stiles sighed, shooing Derek away with his hands.

"I will." Derek entered the station, leaning over the counter towards the police officer. Once they began speaking, Stiles and I entered the building. We crouched low, sneaking behind the counter and through the door.

We stood up straight once we were out of sight. I followed Stiles as I didn't know where we were going. Stiles located where Isaac would be. I turned the corner, coming face to face with an officer. Both Stiles and I froze. Stiles started to speak when the officer fell to the ground, blood seeping from a fresh wound. Behind the officer now stood Isaac Lahey. His eyes were golden and his teeth were sharp like his claws.

"Oh sh-" Stiles got cut off by Derek pushing us out of the way. He flashed his eyes crimson before snarling at Isaac. The golden eyes of Isaac Lahey widened as he dropped to the floor, cowering.

"How did you do that?" Stiles gasped.

"I'm the alpha." Derek turned to face us, his eyes dulling to their regular colour. Derek left the room quickly and I soon learned why. Footsteps sounded from the hallway, growing closer to this room.

"Stiles, your dad is coming. We need to go, now." I grabbed his hand, leading him quickly away before we got caught. His hand in mine, I got us out of the station unseen.

"At least we got Isaac out...kind of." I shrugged. Stiles took the lead this time, leading me to the Jeep so we could go home.


	7. Bromance or Romance?

"Morning." I grinned, rolling over to look at Stiles.

"Morning." He mumbled, staring into my eyes. I stared back, wondering what he was thinking about.

"I still can't believe you're here." Stiles whispered as if he read my mind like Edward. Sadness panged at my heart because I missed Edward but I shrugged it away to enjoy my time with Stiles, the boy who I had left for months.

"I can't believe it either." I grinned. "I should have come back a long time ago or just never left." My grin faded. Stiles rested his forehead against mine, pressing his lips gently on mine. My grin returned.

"Why are you being so nice about this?" I asked him. "You could've yelled, ignored me or at least punched me in the face or something but you're letting me back into your life so quickly. Why?"

"First of all I wouldn't hit a girl." Stiles told me.

"So you wouldn't hit Kate Argent? Or Poison Ivy?" I raised my eyebrow.

"Poison Ivy is hot." Stiles argued.

"That's what she wants you to think then she kisses you and you die." I reminded him.

"You're nothing like Poison Ivy. Reason two is because I'm glad you're back. I need you." Stiles looked at me softly.

"That's weird." I furrowed my eyebrows. Stiles pulled his head back, confusion on his face.

"You think it's weird?" He frowned.

"It's weird because I need you, too. I was going to say the same thing. You'll never fully know how much you mean to me, Stiles." I admitted, my cheeks reddening. Stiles' lips attached onto mine, lingering for a sweet moment before he rolled over and got up to get dressed for school. I stood up, making my way to the window where I jumped out and crossed the road to my house. I changed quickly and sat in the passenger seat of Stiles' Jeep. I offered to drive us but he insisted on driving Roscoe, as he named his Jeep. I wasn't going to argue, especially because I owe him.

I pulled my shorts on and entered the gym for physical education with everyone's favourite faculty member, Coach Finstock. I stood by Allison as everyone piled into the gym. I suddenly remembered that I had invited Bella to come shopping with us.

"Hey, Allison. I kind of sort of invited Bella and her friends shopping. She isn't being social and I feel very responsible." I sighed. "Sorry I didn't ask first."

"The more the merrier, right? I'm sure Lydia will love it. I don't mind at all." Allison grinned.

"Is that Jessica girl coming?" Lydia piped in.

"Probably." I nodded.

"I like her taste." Lydia shrugged. I took that as approval.

"I do not deserve you people." I smiled back.

"No, you don't." Allison laughed.

"Climbing wall day!" Finstock's booming voice filled the gym. He clapped his hands together. "McCall! You two are up!" He pointed to Allison and Scott.

"Destroy him." I snickered. We brought our hands together for a high-five before she clipped on a harness by the rock climbing wall. The two climbed the wall, Scott clearly climbing slowly so he could stare at Allison from behind. I rolled my eyes at him as Stiles stood beside me.

"You know he's going to pair us, right?" I looked at Stiles.

"No he isn't." Stiles shook his head. Allison's foot slammed into Scott's side and he slipped from the wall, collapsing onto the mat. I chuckled at the two. Allison smirked before climbing down.

"Your pain gives me a special kind of joy, McCall." Finstock roared with laughter.

"He is. Look. That there is what he wants." I pointed to Scott who was still lying on the mat. Stiles was about to say something when Finstock ordered the next pair up.

"Blake, Stilinski!" He barked. "Wall, now!" I didn't say anything to Stiles; I only grinned. Stiles playfully narrowed his eyes. We geared up and waited for Coach's whistle to blow. After the whistle sounded, I pulled myself upwards while making sure to keep my speed human. Rock after rock, I glided up the climbing wall, leaving Stiles far behind. I thought back to Scott's lagging reasons and I darted my eyes down to Stiles. He noticed my staring and smirked.

"Jerk." I muttered, amused. Stiles laughed while I hopped down the wall, landing on the mat.

"Stilinski!" Finstock screamed. Stiles flinched, almost losing his grip on the rocks.

"Y-yes, Coach?" Stiles replied.

"You suck!" He roared back, belting out a massive chuckle. As Stiles neared the bottom, I held out my hand for Stiles to let himself down. He grabbed my hand and lowered himself onto the mat. We smiled at each other, only to be interrupted by Finstock.

"Are you two back together?" Coach yelled out. "Jesus, you two are more confusing than the Kardashians!"

"Is that why you're single, Coach?" Stiles asked. I covered my mouth, blocking laughter from escaping.

"Twenty laps!" The coach blew on his whistle furiously. "Both of you!" I finally let out my laughter as Stiles and I circled the gym, running the same pace. Bella, Scott and Allison's eyes glinted with amusement. Lydia had a small smile on her face. A blonde girl and Bella's friend, Mike stepped up to the wall. They began to climb as Stiles and I ran, but the girl suddenly froze. She clung to the wall, halfway up.

"What's wrong? Is it vertigo?" Coach frowned.

"Vertigo is a dysfunction of the vestibular system of the inner ear. She's just freaking out." Lydia responded, inspecting her nails.

"Erica." Coach called out.

"I'm fine." The girl murmured, her voice shaking.

"Coach, maybe it isn't safe. You know she's epileptic." Allison cautioned.

"Why doesn't anybody tell me this stuff?" Coach panicked. "Erica, you're fine. J-Just kick off the wall. There's a mat right there." Stiles and I approached the wall, stopping our running. Erica pushed off and fell to the mat, trembling with anxiety.

After gym, I finished changing into my regular clothes when I heard someone race into the gym.

"Scott!" I heard Stiles call out, causing me to bolt into the gym. I looked at the rock wall to see Erica fall from the wall and into Scott's arms. I was instantly at their side. A gasp sounded behind me and then running.

"Put her on her side." Allison commanded, joining us as Erica began to seize. "How did you know?" Allison's dark eyes met Scott's equally dark ones.

"I don't know. I just...felt it." Scott responded, rolling Erica onto her side while he offered her his hand. She slipped her tiny fingers into his palm and clutched on tightly, her knuckles white.

"I'll call an ambulance." I decided, bringing out my new phone. I gave the operator the information she needed once she picked up before hanging up to report to my friends.

"An ambulance is on its way." I told Stiles and Allison. Scott probably heard the call with his heightened hearing. When the paramedics arrived and took Erica to the hospital, my group of friends and I dispersed.

"So, when are we going shopping?" Lydia approached me in the hall at lunch.

"As soon as I hear from Be-" I stopped talking when I saw Bella walking over to Lydia and I. "Speak of the devil."

"Angela and Jess are in." Bella told me, shoving her hands into her pockets.

"Awesome. When are you guys free?" I asked.

"Friday?" Bella suggested. I looked over to Lydia.

"Friday it is." She nodded. Bella smiled slightly before returning to her friends.

"Excellent." I sighed, relieved to have reached out to Bella.

"Are you coming skating tonight?" Lydia asked me.

"Skating?"

"Yes, skating. Scott, Allison, me, you and Stiles are going." She announced.

"Tonight? When does the rink close?" I wondered aloud.

"Don't worry about it." She grinned, turning on her heels and leaving.

I planted myself beside Stiles in the cafeteria. He was holding an unfamiliar set of keys in his hands. I watched his hands play with the keys, fascinated by anything to do with Stiles.

"Lydia told me about the skating." I began, earning the attention of Scott and Stiles. "Just because Lydia told me I was going, doesn't me I have to. I just got back and things are still weird so if you don't wa-"

Stiles interrupted me, "You're coming. It sucked that you were gone for so long but you're here now. I want you here. So, we're going to find you some skates and you are going to skate with us." He grinned at me. I smiled back, my nerves settling. I kept waiting for Stiles to hate me, but he never acted negatively towards me.

"Are you growing your hair out?" I asked Stiles, taking a bite out of my sandwich.

"Yes...Why? Do you think I should?" Stiles responded, running his hand along his head.

"I don't care what you do with your hair." My cheeks began to look more like apples as I continued, "It'll look great whatever you do with it. I just noticed your hair was slightly longer."

"You grew your hair, too." Stiles noticed, picking up a curl with his fingers.

"Uh, guys. I know you like hair and all, but you might want to see this." Scott cut in.

"See wh-" I stopped speaking when I saw what Scott was talking about. "What the hell?" A girl strut into the cafeteria, her hair curled perfectly, lips as red as blood, skirt shorter than what was socially acceptable, heels higher than the clouds and her shirt was pushing her boobs up way more than I would have been okay with seeing. What was weird about this girl who literally sweat confidence, was that is was someone we knew. It was Erica from gym class. The girl that had had static hair, acne and not one inch of self confidence. The girl with epilepsy who would have severely injured herself had Scott not felt her seizure come on.

"What in the holy hell is that?" Lydia demanded, slamming her hands on the table to announce her presence.

"Erica." I breathed, shocked at what this confidence meant. Erica strut her way back to the door to leave after taking someone's apple. Scott jumped out of his seat and ran after her. Lydia rolled her eyes and left the cafeteria also.

"Anyone want to bet she's Isaac's new packmate?" I groaned to Stiles.

"Derek can't accomplish much with just two betas, can he?" Stiles asked.

"You think he wants to make more?" My lips pressed into a tight line.

"No, but I think he will if he can't have Scott." He replied.

"We should tell Scott." I decided and Stiles agreed. We located Scott to tell him our theory. Scott agreed with our theory and decided he'd ask Erica tomorrow.

Stiles' Jeep pulled into the parking lot of the Ice Rink and we all piled out. Stiles, Lydia and I sat towards the top of the seats while Scott and Allison sat farther down. We were all tying our laces on our skates.

"Could it be any colder in here?" Lydia shivered, clutching her arms close to her body. Stiles dug through his backpack until he located something for Lydia. He held out an orange t-shirt for her. Lydia looked horrified for a moment before speaking.

"I'm wearing blue." She stated. "Blue and orange...Not a good combination." From a fashionable point of view, I agreed with her. Not the two shades of the clothing being offered, anyways.

"But it's the colour of the Mets." Stiles protested. I shrugged off my coat that I had purchased with Lydia and Allison then tossed it over to Lydia. I took the orange shirt from Stiles and threw it over my body, though I didn't need it but Lydia and Allison didn't know that still.

"One day, I will put together an orange and blue outfit just to prove that any two things, no matter how different, can look beautiful together." I grinned at Stiles before looking down at the vibrant shirt. It was too big for my smaller frame, but it was comfortable. Stiles reached his hands behind my neck and pulled my hair out from underneath the shirt.

"Not even you could do it. Blue and orange look terrible together." Lydia commented.

"I think you make everything beautiful. Even blue and orange." Stiles took my hand and lead me towards the ice. I was glad that it was cold in here so my red cheeks looked like it was just from the cold. My skates connected with the ice and I followed Stiles, still holding his hand. A quick thumping sound caught my attention.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Y-yeah! Why?" Stiles answered too quickly.

"Your heartbeat is faster than normal." I reported.

"So is yours." Stiles retorted.

"Yes, but mine always does that. It naturally beats really fast." I reminded him. "What's on your mind?" I could tell something was on his mind. He was more fidgety than usual and his heart was faster.

He sighed, "I wanted to ask you what we are." I froze on the ice, no pun intended, almost pulling him over from the sudden stop.

"W-what we are?" I asked, my heart beginning to follow his.

"Yeah. You know…"

"What do you want us to be?" I blushed, wishing I had the no-blushing talent from Vampires. A flying shape appeared in the corner of my eye. I turned around to see Scott collapsing onto the ice causing me to sigh. Brushing my hair behind my ear, I looked back at Stiles.

"I don't know." He whispered, taking my other hand so that both of my hands were secured in his. "It doesn't really matter what we call it, but I didn't know if you wanted to put a name to it."

"You choose." I told him, sucking in a deep breath. He pulled me into him, my skates willingly gliding me along the ice into his warmth. He brought his lips close to my ear.

"W-will you be my...um, girlfriend?" Stiles asked, his voice shaking like a can of pop that's about to explode in someone's face.

Taking a deep breath, I replied. "Y-yeah. I will." I was blushing heavily, looking down at our hands and refusing to make eye contact. Two of Stiles' fingers found their way under my chin and lifted my face to meet his.

"Really?" He asked, a mixture of disbelief and excitement in his caramel eyes.

"Only if you don't mind dating a fifty year old woman." I joked, quickly regretting saying that in case Stiles got disgusted. Instead, he nodded quickly and brought his lips down onto mine. I couldn't help but smile into the kiss. Stiles' mouth copied mine, grinning. A piercing scream filled the rink.

"It's just kissi-" Stiles stopped when he saw Lydia on her hands and knees, staring at the ice while she screamed as if she was getting assaulted.

"Lydia!" I gasped and the two of us skated towards her as fast as we could. We knelt on the ice and I held her for support, trying to drag her away from the patch of ice she was staring at. Her screams continued fluctuating as she began sobbing and running out of breath.

The next day, Scott and I made our way over to Erica. Stiles didn't like me going over there, but I didn't trust her enough to let Scott go alone.

"Erica." Scott growled, storming over to her. "Two's not enough for Derek. I know he needs at least three. So, who's next?"

"Why does there have to be a third when we have you?" Erica tilted her head and curled a piece of her hair in her finger, using a voice so sickly sweet it made me dislike her strongly. I wasn't a sassy, outgoing or confrontational person, but there was one person that flipped some sort of switch in my head. Derek Hale. Erica wasn't Derek, but she was strongly associated with him and that was close enough. My patience level was beginning to decimate the more she spoke to Scott.

I shoved the thoughts of Derek aside, and continued to listen to Erica and Scott. She was saying something about her seizures.

"Erica, you know, you're the first female werewolf I've ever met. I didn't realize that when females got turned into werewolves, they actually became bitches." I glared at her, the only venom I could produce coating my stare. Rage flashed in her eyes for a brief moment before she recovered and raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, yes. Summer, right?" She used the same sickly sweet voice but this time it didn't make me dislike her. It made me hate her. "What's your deal? I mean," she paused to let out a single and clearly fake laugh, "you're not a werewolf, but you aren't human either. What exactly are you?"

"That's none of your concern. All you need to know is that I'm on Scott's side and neither of us will ever join you or Derek and his litter of pups." I spat, my words as icy as the rink where Stiles asked me to be his girlfriend. Girlfriend. The new title sent blossoming joy through my system, making me forget for just a moment why I was angry. Erica quickly reminded me, letting out a low growl.

"Oh, you'll join us. One of these days when you realize you're too weak to protect yourselves, you'll come running to Derek." She shrugged. "Maybe you'll be too...slow." In the blink of an eye, her fist came launching up towards my face. Even faster, my hand latched onto her wrist. She smirked before kicking her leg out at me. My peripheral vision was greater than her speed, resulting in my reflexes outweighing hers significantly. I hooked my ankle around her foot and flipped her onto her ass. Her smirk vanished quickly, replaced by a deep frown. Scott grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet, slamming her against the locker in one swift move.

"We're stronger and faster." Scott growled. Erica snarled but remained silent, accepting defeat. Scott and I headed back towards the cafeteria, but before we were out of her sight, I turned to face her while continuing walking. I gave her a taunting smile and wiggled my fingers in a small wave.

"That was...awesome." Scott grinned. I instantly calmed down.

"That was. Nice teamwork." I raised my fist and he brought his against mine. A grin spread across my face, matching his. We located Stiles and sat with him.

"Guys. Do you see that?" Stiles motioned towards an empty table.

"What? It's an empty table." Scott shrugged. I studied the table, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Looking back to Stiles, I shrugged.

"What's wrong with it?" I asked, not finding what he was talking about.

"Yes, it's an empty table but who's empty table?" Stiles prompted us. I had no idea who usually sat there so I looked to Scott to figure out this big mystery.

Scott's eyes lit up with realization and a gasp escaped his lips, "Boyd."

"Who's Boyd?" I asked, looking back at the abandoned table.

"He works at the ice rink." Stiles replied as Scott shot up out of his seat. Stiles and I exchanged glances before following Scott down the hall.

"I'm going to the ice rink to see if he's there and if he's not at home, call me. Summer, go with Stiles." Scott ordered.

"Maybe we should let him." Stiles sighed, causing Scott to come to a halt and turn around. "Boyd, you know? You said Derek's giving them a choice, right?" I wasn't sure if I agreed with Stiles or not, so I kept my lips shut.

"We can't." Scott shook his head.

"You have to admit, Erica's changed. She was epileptic, self-conscious and had no friends. Now, she's very confident and likes herself." Stiles raised his brow, trying to get his point across. Good point, I thought.

"Yeah, well how confident do you think she's going to be with a wolfsbane bullet in her head?" Scott retorted. Also a good point, I noted.

"I have to agree with Scott on this one. No matter the benefits, it's not worth risking your life. Especially with Gerard in town." I voiced my newfound opinion.

"Okay, but all I'm saying is maybe this one isn't totally your responsibility." Stiles spoke to Scott.

"They all are." Scott disagreed. "You know this thing's gonna get out of control. That's makes me responsible."

"Okay, but if we're going to do this, I think I should go with you." I told Scott. "Just in case Derek or his minions are there."

"I don't want anyone getting hurt." Scott shook his head. "That includes you."

"I'm half-immortal. Remember?" I reminded him.

"But-"

"Besides, I'm faster. If anything happens, I can get us out of there like Barry Allen." I pointed out. Stiles grinned beside me.

"You've been spending too much time with him." Scott pointed to Stiles.

"I'm a fifty year old woman trapped in a teenager's body. That results in a lot of free time." I sighed. "Anyways, you saw me earlier with Erica. I can handle myself."

"You and Allison." Scott muttered. "Okay fine. You come with me. Stiles will go to Boyd's house."

"You know, this newfound heroism is making me very attracted to you, Scott." Stiles joked, or so I hoped.

"Shut up." Scott rolled his dark eyes.

"No, seriously. Do you wanna try making out a sec? Just to see how it feels?" Stiles continued.

"We're leaving, Stiles." Scott sighed.

"Can I kiss you, then?" Stiles directed at me.

Yes, my mind screamed but instead I replied, "That's what Scott is for. Bye, Stiles."

"Bye." Stiles murmured. "Wait, what do you mean earlier with Erica?"

"Bye Stiles." I repeated as Scott and I headed to the ice rink, parting ways with Stiles.


	8. Special Wolfy Claws

Scott and I arrived at the ice rink where Boyd worked. Scott pushed the door open and I followed him into the rink. Sat on the zamboni, circling the ice, was a huge guy I didn't recognize.

Before I could ask if that was Boyd, Scott spoke to the zamboni operator, "Boyd." The guy stopped the zamboni, turning to face us. I gently pressed my foot to the ice, walking forward towards Boyd. "Look, we just want to talk. Did Derek tell you everything? And I don't just mean going out of control during full moons."

"He told me about the hunters." Boyd spoke quickly, clearly wanting to get to the point.

"And that's not enough for you to say no?" Scott asked him incredulously.

"Boyd, you don't have to say yes." I spoke up.

"Whatever you want, there are other ways to get it." Scott added.

"I just wanna not eat lunch alone everyday." Boyd admitted. Sympathy grabbed the corners of my lips and twisted my neutral facial expression into a frown.

"Then sit with us. You don't need to join them." I offered, feeling very sorry for this lonely man.

"Yeah." Scott agreed. "If you're looking for friends, you can do a lot better than Derek." _Speak of the devil_ , I thought as Derek's scent invaded the rink.

"That really hurts, guys." Derek complained. "I'm sure a vampire hybrid isn't great company either."

"What?" My voice broke, coming out in a whisper. _How did he find out?_

"Wondering how I found out?" He asked. "It's simple. You lived with the Cullens and I was there when your arm got ripped off. Remember? I saved your life or have you forgotten? Maybe you're just ungrateful."

"Maybe we should rip off her arm to teach her a lesson." Erica smirked.

"Oh, you can try." I taunted. "I'll put you on your ass."

"And Scott, if you're going to review me, at least take a consensus." Derek turned his face to stare at Scott. "Erica, how's life been for you since we met?"

"Hmm. In a word... _transformative._ " She laughed.

"Isaac?" Derek prompted.

"I'm a little bummed about being a fugitive but other than that, I'm great." The corners of his lips tugged upwards, as if amused by our rage.

"Okay, hold on." Scott paused. "This isn't exactly a fair fight." Though I felt my training with Edward was enough to easily take down the two betas at least, I didn't protest.

"Then go home." Derek offered.

"I meant for them." Scott said, causing me to grin. Fighting Derek would require both of our efforts, but together I felt we could do it.

Erica and Isaac charged forth as Boyd remained silent on the Zamboni.

"I'll take Isaac." Scott told me. I nodded, staring at Erica who glared back. She thought she would be getting revenge for her earlier asskicking. She was very wrong. As she launched forwards, claws extended, I raced forward. My feet slid warningly against the ice so I had to slow down, but I was grateful for my vampire balance. I gave Erica a fierce uppercut, resulting in blood spurting out of her mouth. I didn't hit her as hard as I could, for fear of hurting her more than what was necessary. A sharp growl rippled from her throat and she swung her claws at me but I was too fast. I easily dodged her claws and moved forward, jamming an elbow into the back of her head. She collapsed on the ice just as Isaac fell in front of Scott. Scott grasped Erica and Isaac by the jacket collars and he slid them along the ice towards Derek. I cringed at the thought of their faces gliding along the ice. I imagined it would be extraordinarily painful.

Derek twisted his neck around, as if to crack it but instead whipped it back into place. His face was no longer human, but wolfish. His eyes burned red and his claws extended from his fingertips. This reminded me of boss fights in video games. I waited for text saying 'Derek' to pop up in front of us.

"Boss fight." I whispered, letting out a small breath. I eyed Derek's claws, knowing I had to avoid those. I also made a mental note to ask Deaton why werewolf claws could harm me.

Derek stalked forward, fear nowhere in sight in his eyes. I took a deep breath, preparing to fight.

"Remember when you fought Peter? Derek's nothing compared to him." Scott whispered in my ear, quiet enough that only I could hear. A small smile found its way on my lips and I directed it at Scott. I then turned to face Derek. His focus was on Scott so I lept onto his shoulders, taking his wrists into my small hands. I pulled Derek's arms backwards and upwards as I jumped. Then using my feet which dangled by his abdomen, I swung them forth and kicked backwards. My feet crashed into Derek's ribs and I heard the air leave Derek's lungs. I continued to pull Derek's arms up and back as he fell to the ground. I heard and felt the crunch of his arms and shoulders before I saw it. His arms were splayed out to the side, bending in ways that arms shouldn't. Derek grunted as he shot his arms out, cracking them back into place. He reached up, grabbing my thighs and holding me against his shoulders. He winced as he did so. He fell backwards sharply against the ice, crushing me underneath him. My head cracked against the ice and my vision blurred. The weight of Derek lifted off of me as he got up. My legs stung and I could feel blood sticking to my pants. _His claws_ , I realized. He had dug his claws into my thighs when he fell back. I could barely make out the dancing images in front of me. I knew Scott was fighting Derek, but I couldn't see much else. As my vision began to clear, I watched Scott fall to the ice. Blood poured from his abdomen and his wound caught my attention. Slashes covered his abs and chest, ragged flesh oozing thick blood.

"Don't you get it?" Scott turned to Boyd as he spat blood onto the ice. "It's all about him and getting him power."

"It's true. It is about power." Derek admitted as if he didn't think that was much of a secret. Boyd's blurry figure moved away from the Zamboni but Scott called out to him.

"Don't. You don't want to be like them." Scott choked out.

"He doesn't care about you." I whispered though it sounded more like shouting. I raised a finger to my temple, wincing.

"You're right. I want to be like you." Boyd told us. I didn't see what he did next because I crawled towards Scott, my thighs screaming at me to stop.

Derek made a step towards Scott, but I scooped Scott up and ran for the doors. I stumbled as I ran out of the rink, but I didn't stop. Warm blood pooled down onto my arms and I was grateful Scott wasn't human.

My legs protested as I grew closer to Deaton's clinic. My thighs were coated in blood and the only thing keeping me conscious was Scott.

I burst through the door of the clinic and collapsed onto the floor, crashing down on top of Scott. Using the last inch of energy I had, I rolled off of him.

"Summer." Deaton's voice rang through my ears, sounding as if he were several feet away rather than right next to me. I looked up at him and he began to come into focus. I noticed that we were no longer in the waiting room, but in the back of the clinic where he treated domestic animals as well as werewolves.

"Scott?" I asked.

"Right here." Scott spoke up. I turned to look at him.

"You're not healing?" I worried, looking at his torn abdomen.

"Wounds from an alpha take longer to heal." explained. I sat up slowly, feeling an ache in my legs.

"I hear that vampire venom heals your wounds?" Deaton asked me. I nodded. "I have some here." I sighed, dreading the treatment. As he applied venom to my thighs, the venom lashed at my legs and sent searing pain through me. I winced, biting down hard on my bottom lip. A droplet of blood sank into my mouth from my lip. Scott offered me his hand and I grabbed it, thankful. I heard a snap and Scott exclaim. I quickly took my hand away to see that I had broken one of Scott's fingers.

"Sor- ow! Sorry." I hissed through the sting of the venom.

"Finished." Deaton reassured me. I watched as the last puncture closed up. I suddenly remembered my question regarding werewolves.

"Thanks for healing me." I thanked him.

"You're welcome. I was beginning to think you didn't want my help." He smiled.

"Why?" I wondered.

"You were swearing at me." He told me.

"I was? I didn't even know. I'm sorry." I My eyes widened.

"No worries." He chuckled lightly.

"I have a question about werewolves and my kind." I started, unsure if he even knew much about me.

"I don't know much about your kind, I'm afraid, but I'll try my best." He encouraged me to go on.

"Pass me that scalpel." I instructed. Confusion crossed both Scott and Deaton's eyes, but they didn't speak. The vet handed me the scalpel and its icy steel bit into my hand. I dragged the blade along my skin, applying enough pressure to completely lacerate human flesh. Deaton stared in wonder as the scalpel didn't puncture my skin.

"No matter how sharp something is, it can't pierce my skin." I explained after my demonstration. "But werewolf claws can and it's not like werewolf claws are the sharpest object in the world."

"Interesting." He commented, appearing deep in thought. He left the room momentarily, returning with a Shih Tzu in his hands. "May I?" He asked.

"Do whatever you need." I told him. "I just want to know what it is about werewolves." He carefully lifted the dog's paw and placed it on my arm. I closed my eyes and thought about Stiles to avoid focusing on the dog's steady pulse. I felt the claws run along my arm, but that's all it was. It didn't hurt and there was no blood.

"This dog hasn't had a nail trim in a while. This should have broken the skin." Deaton sighed. He put the dog back in its kennel and returned. "I have a series of tests I'd like to run." The jingle of a bell and a familiar scent entered the clinic. Deaton raised his eyebrow and poked his head through the door, but I already knew who it was. A grin spread across my face as he grew closer to the door. My grin quickly vanished when I realized he was running and he came into view. My eyebrows pulled together as I took in his appearance.

"What the hell happened, Stiles?" I asked, staring at the patch of blood on his head.

"Erica. What happened to you guys?" He asked frantically.

"Derek." I answered. "Erica must have gone to Boyd's before coming to the rink."

"Where is she now?" Stiles asked.

"Um...sleeping." I shrugged.

"Sleeping?" He tilted his head.

"I elbowed her in the head." I admitted, not looking up at him.

"Good." Stiles nodded. "Did you get a swing in, Scotty?"

"He took down Isaac." I replied.

"Wait, I missed a girl fight involving the hottest girl in school?" Stiles gaped. "And she won?"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you on your own." I frowned. "I'm glad you weren't at the rink with us, but I'm sorry you had to get hurt."

"It isn't your fault." He said. "It's Derek's." He ran his hand along the blood splats on my thighs. "He hurt you?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "Although, I did break both of his so I guess I deserved it." Stiles looked both horrified and amused for a moment before a voice spoke up.

"Sorry to interrupt you, guys. I have some tests I'd like to perform on you, Summer." interrupted us. I nodded at him to continue. "I need to run some tests on you as well, Scott."

"What tests?" Suspicion was heavy on Scott's voice.

"I'd like to test your claws and your fangs, Scott. Also, your skin, Summer." He answered, taking out a pack of cotton swabs.

"Now, I'm only a vet. I can't conduct the tests I would like, but I do have an idea about why your skin reacts to werewolves." Deaton instructed Scott to extend his claws and fangs then took a cotton swab and ran it along one of his claws. Using the same swab along with a scalpel, he dragged both on my skin in the same area. I winced as the blade broke through my skin. Stiles slipped his hand into my hand, opposite from the side Deaton was testing.

"I can't believe you just hurt me with a scalpel." I commented. He then used the swab to dab a small area on my hand. He waited a second before using the scalpel. The tip of the scalpel poked at my hand, but didn't break through. My eyebrows raised in wonder.

"Interesting. It appears that the scalpel only damages you when it is in contact with the swab from Scott's claw. When they don't touch, the scalpel won't go through." Deaton analyzed. "I think I know what's going on here, but I just want to test one more thing to be sure."

"Great." I smiled sarcastically. Though these tests weren't fun to be apart of, I was intrigued at the same time. It was nice to be able to find out why werewolves could hurt me, but weapons couldn't.

picked up a fresh swab after disposing of the used one. He swabbed Scott's canines and came over to me.

"You're going to wipe Scott's drool on her then cut her with a scalpel?" Stiles asked. "I'm no expert, but I don't think that's how you're supposed to treat women."

"When you put it that way, _now_ I find this extraordinarily disgusting." I grimaced. Deaton slid the swab on my arm along with the scalpel, the icy bite of the scalpel mixing with the wetness of the swab. I bit my lip as blood welled from the new cut.

"You just healed her and now you're cutting her." Stiles joked, "You're not a very good vet."

"I wish there was some other way I could find out or do this test, but I can't really give her anesthetic. Her body would probably fight it." He replied. "Scott, you can retract your claws now." Scott's claws disappeared, instead replaced by human fingernails.

"Would his fingernails work, too?" I asked, staring at his nails.

"Injure you like his claws?" Deaton clarified.

"Yeah. Could he scratch me with his regular nails?" I nodded. Scott looked unsure, clearly not enjoying assisting in the harm of his friend.

"It's okay, Scott. I want to find out everything I can. It'll help to defend myself in the future." I encouraged. He sighed before slashing my hand with his fingernails. There wasn't any blood, but it still stung slightly. A faint line appeared where his nail had been.

"So, I can't get stabbed by a sword, but a fingernail breaks through my skin and cuts me. Interesting." I raised one of my eyebrows.

"Interesting indeed. There must be something in a werewolf's biological makeup that reacts with your skin, causing a temporary weakness and allowing for injury." Deaton theorized. "For example, something in the genetic makeup or a specific protein or something along those lines."

"So you're suggesting that something in werewolf DNA has a reaction with the cells in my skin, making them significantly weaker thus allowing his claws through?" I clarified and he nodded. "That makes sense."

"So for those of us who don't speak science, like Scott for example, I'll put it in English." Stiles grinned. "Wolfy claws and fangs are special so they can make hybrid skin weak and wolfy claws can hurt hybrids."

"I got what they meant." Scott scowled.

"This was certainly an interesting experience. How about we heal wounds rather than cause them?" Deaton laughed.

"Good idea." I agreed.

After Deaton had finished healing my wounds, the three of us left the clinic. Scott went home while Stiles and I went to his house. I stretched out beside Stiles, studying every detail of his face as if it were the last time I would see it.

"Will we ever get used to this?" I asked him.

"What?" He responded.

"Being together again. I've been away for so long. It's like I'll never get enough time with you to make up for it." I explained. Stiles didn't say anything. He just kissed the tip of my nose, spreading a grin across my blushing face.

"You blush a lot." He commented curiously.

"I know. Talking about it makes it worse." As if on command, I could feel the searing heat of my cheeks as they probably turned as red as The Flash's suit. And yes, Stiles had been making me read comic books with him.

"Hey, it does." He poked my cheeks, making me scowl playfully at him. I turned away from him, rolling onto my right side. He snaked his arm around me and held my hand.

"What did Bella say?" He asked.

"Allison, Lydia, Bella, Jessica, Angela and I are going shopping." I informed him. "I promised to buy Allison an outfit if she went shopping with Lydia. All this supernatural stuff has been keeping her busy, as well as having to see Scott secretly. She hasn't had much time to hang out with Lydia."

"I couldn't do the whole secret relationship thing. I'd freak out." Stiles commented.

"Me too. I guess I have to make sure I don't make your dad hate me more." I chuckled.

"He doesn't hate you." Stiles disagreed.

"He should. I broke your heart." I replied. "Bella's dad hates me, too. I should start a club. Getting Allison's dad on board would be simple. I would just have to show him my abilities." I laughed.

"What about Scott's mom?" He asked. "She likes you."

"I think she doesn't really have much of an opinion of me." I decided.

"Well, it doesn't matter because I like you." Stiles brought his face to mine after turning me back towards him and kissed me gently.

"Good because I like you, too." I rolled into his chest and snuggled against it.

"You know, all this supernatural business and running for our lives is doing some good." I ran my hand along his triceps and biceps.

"Really?" I could feel him grin against my hair.

"Yep." I nodded, closing my eyes and cuddling up closer to him.

"You're falling asleep, aren't you?" He asked.

"Yep." I repeated, letting out a peaceful sigh. And after that, sleep came.


	9. Fifth-Wheeling

I woke up, surrounded by arms. It brought back memories of when I had stayed here after our movie night. I attempted to break free, but he wouldn't let go.

"I'm still stronger than you." I reminded him, snickering.

"But it's so comfy." He protested. "And you're so warm."

"Do I have to get your dad in here? I'm sure he'd love finding out you have a girl in your bed." I threatened. Of course, I'd never do that but I'd say almost anything to get Stiles up.

"Nope. I'm up." Stiles shot up and let go of me.

"Do you remember when I first fell asleep here?" I asked him.

"I definitely remember that." He smirked. Ignoring his smirk, I continued.

"I was terrified when I woke up that morning." I confessed.

"You were?" His lips parted in shock.

"I was scared that I would start to like you. Also, I was scared Edward would hear me thinking about you." I admitted, not looking at him because my cheeks were burning. My heart pounded in my chest.

"Do you regret it?" He asked and I turned around to face him.

"No." I answered. "I'm not continuing my explanation because I already look like a tomato and I need to get ready for school.

"No goodbye?" He pouted. Fighting a smile, I pressed a lingering kiss to his soft pink lips. My heart raced as I kissed him. Kissing Stiles Stilinski wasn't something I would ever get tired of or used to. I waved goodbye as I darted out of his window and across the road to my house.

Finally, the long awaited shopping trip had arrived. I didn't know about the others, but Lydia, myself and Bella needed this. Angela, Jessica and Bella had come together in Jessica's vehicle while Lydia, Allison and I travelled in Allison's. I wondered if they would find it strange going shopping with a fifty year old woman if they had known about me.

"Thanks for inviting us." The girl with the glasses spoke to Allison, Lydia and I. "We haven't been shopping in a while."

"A while? Try last month." The other girl, who's hair was thrown back with a headband, responded to her friend. I assumed this girl was Jessica, but I wasn't sure.

"I like her already." I heard Lydia comment behind me.

"That's because she is basically your twin." Allison muttered.

"Okay, so this is Angela." Bella motioned to the girl with glasses. "This is Jessica." She pointed to the girl wearing her hair in a headband. Angela's hair was set in two neat pigtails and Bella's hair wasn't styled in any way, just flowing down her back.

"Nice to meet you." Lydia spoke in that mysterious tone she often spoke with. "I'm Lydia." She brushed her hand along her hair, flicking it back behind her.

"And what's your name?" Jessica asked Allison, inspecting her outfit I assumed.

"Allison." Allison introduced herself.

"What about you? You're Summer. You're the girl who used to live here with the Cullens, right?" Jessica popped a piece of gum that sat in her mouth as she chewed. I heard a small intake of breath and the quickened beating of a human heart. I gave Bella a sympathetic look before responding.

"Yeah, that's me." I nodded, wanting to change the topic.

"Hey, you're dating that Stilinski guy, aren't you?" Angela interrupted the blooming awkwardness.

"Yeah." I smiled, definitely enjoying this topic. It would probably lead to an unenjoyable topic, but it was better than talking about my family. The topic of Stiles Stilinski was my favourite topic. I loved thinking about him and talking about him and being with him.

"He's the benchwarmer for the Cyclones, isn't he?" Jessica wondered aloud, referring to Stiles' permanent position on the bench in Lacrosse. I heard a small chuckle behind me, and I turned around to glare at Allison. It wasn't a real glare, of course.

"You could say that." I shrugged.

"And you're dating his friend, the captain of the team?" Angela clarified, turning to Allison.

"Co-captain." She corrected. "And no. We broke up."

"Sorry to hear that." Angela frowned as we entered the first shop.

"Looks like we've all got relationship drama." I chuckled. "How about you two? Any guys in your lives?" I knew at least one of them was in a relationship, but I wanted to keep a conversation going so it wasn't awkward.

"Eric Yorkie. Things are really great right now." Angela smiled shyly.

"I'm single right now. I mean, who has time for guys right now? School is too busy." Jessica picked up a shirt up off of a rack.

"What about Mike?" Bella asked her. "I thought you liked him."

"Mike Newton?" Lydia smirked.

"Well, yeah. I mean, I don't know. We went to the formal together, but I don't know if he's into it? You know?" Jessica shrugged.

"Well, why don't you guys go for a movie tonight or something?" Allison suggested.

"How am I supposed to tell if he likes me if I'm watching a movie?" Jessica questioned.

"What if we all go to a movie?" I offered. "All of us and the boys, too."

"That could work." Angela agreed. I looked around at each girl, seeing if they agreed.

"We're in." Lydia twirled a piece of her hair around her manicured nail.

"So, us plus Eric, Mike and…?" I paused.

"Your boy-toy can come." Jessica rolled her eyes at me. Laughing, I thanked her.

"And Jacob." Bella spoke up.

"Jacob?" I asked.

"Jacob's a friend of mine." Bella explained.

"Bring him." Allison grinned at Bella.

"Okay, cool." Bella returned Allison's grin.

"I can't tonight. I have...homework." Allison announced. You mean Scott, I thought.

"If this is a...quadruple date or something, then I'm not...fifth wheeling?" Lydia frowned.

"You won't be fifth wheeling or anything, Lydia. I'll make sure you have someone to talk to. Me." I told Lydia. I sighed, wishing that Scott could come. I felt bad that Scott couldn't come with us, but he and Allison weren't allowed to be seen together. Not only was Jessica the school gossiper, but Allison's father would easily find out and that was the last thing we wanted. Plus, the two of them were probably going to spend time together tonight.

We continued shopping. After we had been to the sixth shop, something finally caught my eye. I took the article of clothing to the fitting room to try on. Once I was wearing it, I turned to face the mirror. The dress cut off just above the knees. There were no sleeves, so the thick straps ended just at the shoulder. A fake belt was printed along the waistline. The 'belt' was yellow with a buckle the shape of a bat. On the chest of the dress was the symbol of Stiles' favourite hero, Batman. I looked at my reflection, up and down, debating whether or not I should get it. Stiles would love this, I thought. That one thought made the decision for me. I was going to buy it.

Us girls arrived at Victoria's Secret after Jess and Lydia demanded we went in. I looked around at the displayed underwear.

"This is what people wear nowadays?" I whispered to Bella in horror. The underwear was basically a single string between the buttcheeks and very few material in the front.

"Some girls do," Bella laughed.

"Back in the sixties, this would've given everyone a heart attack. Although, things did get a bit weird in the seventies," I commented to her, making sure the others didn't hear.

"Handcuffs?" Angela giggled. Bella stared blankly at all of the lacy thongs and lingerie.

"You three are so clueless," Lydia shook her head. While Jess talked to Angela and Bella, Angela looking timid and Bella confused, Lydia and Allison dragged me over to a pile of lacy underwear.

"Please tell me you own some of these," Lydia turned to me while holding a thin, silky thong.

"Uh, not really," I confessed. You don't really wear that at my age, I thought to myself, amused.

"Maybe you should. Remember 'Operation: Appreciate Stiles'?" Lydia smirked. My eyes widened.

"Operation what?" My eyebrows shot up.

"Don't you remember what we talked about when you came back from wherever?" Lydia reminded me.

"Ah, yes. That conversation," I bit my lip. Lydia and Allison made eye contact and grinned at each other before filing through the panty pile.

"What size are you? Small? Medium?" Allison asked.

"Uh, medium," I mumbled. I almost felt like sending Stiles a distress text but this was for him. If we ever got around to that, that is.

"Purple," Lydia replied to something Allison had said.

"You two are scaring me," I told them. They handed me three pairs each and told me to go try them on. Allison pushed me towards the change room, telling the store associate that I had six items. She unlocked a fitting room and I timidly walked inside, lips pressed into a thin line.

I had never tried underwear like this on. It was so thin and there was hardly any material. How does this even do its job? I wondered. I shook my head before trying the panties on. There were two different styles, so I didn't feel the need to try on more than two pairs. I decided after trying them on that they were more comfortable than they looked. I got changed back into my regular clothes and returned to Lydia and Allison.

"Well?" Allison smirked.

"Fine," I muttered.

"What? I didn't catch that," she raised her eyebrows and folded her arms.

"Fine," I raised my voice, blushing. "Do all girls feel the need to buy panties together?"

"Have you seen this store? It is amazing," Jessica spoke from behind me. I purchased the underwear along with a bra to match two of the pairs. I felt awkward about it as I didn't realize girls worshipped undergarments so much. As far as I was concerned, it was just underwear.

At the next store, Allison and I were standing together in the corner of the store, looking at shoes. The other girls were elsewhere in the store, clearly having fun by the look of it. I suddenly thought of the day she accused me of being a werewolf.

"Hey, Allison." I started. She looked up, paying attention to me.

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember when you asked if I was, you know, a werewolf?" I asked, remembering the day I found that mysterious note.

"Yeah, change your mind?" Allison raised her eyebrow.

"No." I chuckled lightly, "I was wondering if while I was there, if you saw anyone go near my vehicle."

"No...Did someone break into your car that day?" She asked, concern brewing on her face.

"Yeah." I admitted, "But they didn't take anything. Actually, they left something."

"What?" Allison put the pair of boots she was eyeing down.

"A note. It doesn't really matter what it said. I was just wondering if you saw somebody." I shrugged, turning my attention back to the shoes in front of us

"You know, you don't have to deny being a werewolf anymore." Allison said, causing me to look back at her.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"I know you aren't a werewolf, now." She replied.

"Well, that's good." I grinned. "Although, claws would come in handy."

"You don't need claws." Allison shook her head.

"No, I don't." I agreed, beginning to wonder if she was taking this conversation into an unpleasant direction.

"Why need claws when you can outrun werewolves?" She asked, confirming my suspicions.

"Allison-" I began.

"You're not a vampire, but you're not quite human. What are you?" She interrupted.

"Does your dad know?" I countered.

"No, he doesn't even know who you are." Allison answered. "What are you?"

"Hybrid," I admitted. "Half vampire, half human."

"How is that possible?" She asked, becoming very quiet.

"My mother was a human, my father was or is a vampire," I explained.

"Was?" Allison asked, unsure.

"She's dead. It's my fault. I don't even remember what she looked like. I assume she had hazel eyes like mine," I sighed. I barely remembered her. How could someone forget their own mother? All I could remember was that I loved her at some point and I remembered the smell of blood.

"I'm sorry," Allison's eyes shaped in sympathy and regret, possibly for bringing it up.

"No, it's okay," I nodded. "We should join the others again."

"Good idea. Thanks for telling me, by the way. Don't worry, my dad will never hear about this."

"Or your mom? Or Gerard?" I raised my eyebrows at her.

"Or them," she laughed. I laughed with her and we returned to the other girls.

"Allison, if you don't go grab those boots you were looking at, I'm leaving you here at the mall," I grinned at her. She returned my grin and ran back to retrieve the boots she had looked at before our chat. Part of me felt relieved that she knew about me. It was like a weight off my chest and I had a feeling it would bring us closer as friends. But I couldn't help but worry because of her family. If they found out, I'd have to leave Beacon Hills along with my family.

Allison came back with the boots and I payed for them. Jessica and Lydia payed for their clothes they bought and we hit the next store. We went to store after store, until finally, we were done.

"So for the movie tonight, how about Facepunch?" Bella suggested. "It is that action movie." We all agreed to see Facepunch before we said goodbye.

"Thanks for this. It was really fun. Nice meeting you guys. Maybe we'll see you at school?" Angela smiled.

"Yeah, we'll see you around," Allison nodded.

"Thanks for coming," I told all of the girls. We all waved at each other and grinned before we split up to go home.

"That was fun. See, Allison? Shopping is fun," Lydia teased Allison.

"It was fun, yes. I just have to balance you and Scott. It's difficult," Allison defended herself.

"Well, have fun with Scott tonight," I winked. "I mean homework." The three of us giggled as we got into the vehicle and began our journey home. My phone buzzed when I got home and I slid it out of my pocket.

 **Bella: Jess is going to talk to Mike and Angela is going to talk to Eric. I'll talk to Jacob. Also, I made sure to mention to Charlie that you set the shopping trip up for me. You just went up in his books**

I laughed at the text, glad that Charlie disliked me slightly less.

 **To Bella: Okay. Cool. I'll get Stiles on board. How does 8 sound for time?**

 **Bella: Perfect.**

I put my cellphone away and walked over to Stiles' house to see if he wanted to come along to the movie. For some reason, as I stood on his doorstep, I felt nervous. I still felt like he should push me away because of what I did, rather than accept me.

He opened the door, staring down at me. He sucked in a surprised breath, almost like I did. It was still so surprising to both of us that we were together again. This time, we were officially dating for the first time. We had never named what we had before and names didn't really matter, but it was nice to know we were exclusive.

"How was your shopping trip?" Stiles asked. I told him that everyone had seemed to enjoy themselves and Lydia had gotten along really well with Jessica.

"Allison knows what I am, now," I admitted.

"You told her?" Stiles' eyebrows lifted in surprise. I explained that she knew I wasn't a werewolf, but she had an idea what I truly was.

"What if Gerard-"

"She assured me that her family has no idea and she won't let them find out," I told him. "I trust her." Kind of. Realizing we were still stood in the doorway, we went inside his house and sat on the couch.

"So, some of us are going to see that movie Facepunch tonight at eight. Would you like to come?" I asked, nervous for some reason.

"Yeah! That's the one with guns, right?" He grinned.

"Yep, I believe so. So, is that a yes?" I asked.

"Why not? Is Scott going?" He seemed genuinely excited.

"No, Allison has 'homework' so those two aren't coming. Lydia, Jessica, Angela, Mike, Eric, Bella, Bella's friend and us. That's who's going," I explained.

"Sounds good to me," Stiles grinned again. "Facepunch at eight."

"Facepunch at eight," I agreed.


	10. Facepunch and Chill

I slipped my new Batman dress on and threw my hair into a curled ponytail. Grinning, I ran over to Stiles to show him what I was wearing to the movie. He opened the door and his jaw dropped.

"That is the best thing I have ever seen," he gawked. "Is my love for comics rubbing off on you?" He asked.

"I think so," I agreed. We laughed as we climbed into the Jeep.

Stiles and I arrived at the cinema in his Jeep and I immediately noticed Mike standing next to someone I had never seen before. They appeared to be speaking awkwardly with one another.

"Well, that's Mike. Maybe the other guy is Bella's friend," I commented as Stiles parked. I couldn't remember Bella's friend's name. Maybe it was Jason, or something.

Stiles' hand brushed against mine as we walked towards the cinema and my cheeks grew slightly warm because of the contact. The next time they brushed, Stiles grabbed my hand and slid it into his own. I shyly smiled at him and he seemed to be quite proud of his action. His hand was icy to the touch and I looked over at him with a questioning glance.

"Your hand is really cold, Stiles," I told him.

"Your hand is really warm, Summer," he replied. I remembered then that humans found my skin to be very warm. I rolled my eyes, snickering to myself. We approached the two boys and Mike waved when he saw us. Relief washed over his features, indicating his conversation with Jason was an uncomfortable one.

"Hey, you made it. Angela got sick so Eric is taking care of her...and Jess bailed. It's just us," Bella informed us as she approached the four of us.

"As she mentioned earlier, she couldn't make it. Scott couldn't come either. He didn't finish that essay from yesterday," I lied.

"Okay, well this is Jacob everyone. Jacob this is Mike, Summer, and Stiles," Bella introduced. _Oh, his name is_ Jacob _not Jason. Oops._

"Car issues," a voice spoke behind us. I turned to see Lydia strutting up to us, hand on her hip and the other hand flicking her hair. I grinned at Lydia, glad she could make it.

"And Lydia," Bella added. We all headed inside the cinema and bought our tickets.

"Who's that?" Lydia asked me, staring at Jacob.

"Jacob, why? Do you think he's attractive?" I asked, giggling.

"He's certainly a good looking guy," she smirked. I agreed, though I said nothing. Jacob was freakishly tall, definitely in the high sixes. His skin was the colour of caramel and his muscles were well developed for someone his age. His hair was long, reaching his abdomen and it was jet black. He was beautiful, though I personally preferred Stiles. Stiles had the most beautiful, soft eyes I had ever seen. I loved the way his nose was shaped, long and curving up slightly at the end. His hair was still in a buzzcut, though it had started to slightly grow out. My heightened vision allowed me to see the extent of growth since the alpha days. And his lips, which I could stare at all day, were the perfect shade of pink.

The six of us found our seats and sat down, isolated in the front row so we wouldn't disturb the other five people here. Clearly, this wasn't a popular movie.

Lydia sat on the outside of our group, to her left was me then Stiles then Jacob then Bella then Mike. I made sure to include Lydia as much as I could, without annoying anyone by talking lots.

After we had been watching the film for about thirty minutes, Lydia nudged my arm. I raised my eyebrow at her and she flicked her eyes over to where Bella was sitting. I followed her gaze and noticed that both Mike and Jacob had their hands out, palms up, requesting Bella to take their hands. Noticing us looking at her, Bella made eye contact with me. She rolled her eyes at the two boys and continued to watch the movie. Lydia and I chuckled until I realized Stiles had seen it too. He sheepishly grinned, sliding his hand and towards me. I stared at him for a moment before delivering him my hand, unable to maintain a straight face anymore.

Twenty minutes later, just as a movie character got their head blown off, Mike jumped up out of his seat. He raced by, heading for the exit. Bella followed him, Jacob trailing behind with an amused expression. Lydia, Stiles and I all exchanged a look before following them ourselves.

"I thought we'd never leave this movie," I admitted.

"That was horrible," Lydia agreed. "I'll be right back." Lydia headed to the ladies room while Bella and Jacob waited on the staircase for Mike who had ran to the men's.

"Violent movies aren't as great when you've seen it live," Stiles sighed. I wrapped my arms around him.

"Agreed," I murmured. "How's your head?" I shuddered, thinking about how I didn't protect him from Erica.

"Fine. Stop that," he looked down at me disapprovingly.

"Stop what?" I frowned in confusion.

"Blaming yourself," he answered. "I can tell you're blaming yourself."

"How?" I asked.

"Your eyes stop focusing and you drift off," Stiles told me as he pressed a kiss to my forehead. My lips parted in wonder.

"You notice that?"

"I notice everything about you. I'm not letting you go again," he promised.

"I love you," I joked as I pressed my head against his chest, chuckling. I instantly froze, realizing what I said. _I said I loved him...Oh my god._

"Fuck," I cursed. "Oh my god, sorry! I didn't mean to swear! I hate swearing and I usually don't swear. Fuck, I can't believe I swore- oh my god I did it again-"

Stiles' eyes were wide with alert and he was just as frozen as I had been. His lips had parted at the words that escaped my mouth.

"Did you just say you love me?" Stiles whispered.

"I was kind of hoping you didn't hear that," I swallowed the lump in my throat. My hands were shaking now and my nerves had spiked. For a moment, Stiles was dead silent. I could hear his heart hammering in his chest, mirroring my own. My eyes were huge, staring into his.

"D-did you mean it?" Stiles stammered.

"Yes," I whispered before I had time to think about it. This shocked me as much as when I told him I loved him. Did I truly love him? Was this more than just affection? The truth was, yes I did.

"Yes," I repeated, my voice trembling like my hands. "Stiles, I-"

Stiles dove towards me, attacking my lips with his own as if we wouldn't see each other ever again. I tensed up for a moment before relaxing into the kiss. My lips quickly responded after the initial shock, familiar with his own. My mind spun with wonder. What did this mean? Luckily for me, he told me.

"I love you, too," he whispered, resting his forehead against mine.

"Well, we have a marshmallow, someone bored, and two loved-up buffoons. Please tell me you're normal," Jacob spoke to Bella.

"I'm not normal," she replied. I turned my attention back to Stiles, staring deeply into his eyes. I was completely infatuated with him. I adored him. When I first let the l word slip, I had worried but now I was glad I said it. It opened up my eyes further to my affection I had for Stiles Stilinski. I loved him and he for some reason loved me too. Something I never thought possible for someone like me. Something I never thought possible for my entire existence.


	11. The Pool Incident

Stiles had the biggest grin on his face I had ever seen. In this moment, I was completely ecstatic. We hugged each closely, our hearts still pounding like house music outside of a club. I turned my head to the side, resting my right cheek against his chest. Jacob and Lydia were chatting by the stairs and Bella was walking over to us.

"Why are you blushing?" Bella asked, staring at my bright red left cheek.

"Um...it's warm in here," I lied.

"Do you even get too warm?" Bella raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

"Who knows? Right?" I chuckled awkwardly. "Is Mike okay? It sounds awful in there." As if on cue, a loud retching sound came from the bathroom.

"Curse supernatural hearing. This is actually so disgusting. I can hear everything," I grimaced. Stiles grimaced along with me.

"We'll pass on the audio book of descriptions," Stiles shook his head.

"Jacob thinks the movie was too much for him," Bella replied.

"Oh, because of the death?" I guessed. She nodded. "It's definitely easier seeing on the screen. He'd never survive seeing the things we've seen."

"Speaking of the supernatural, Scott's not here. Neither is Allison. I'm guessing Allison isn't doing homework?" She assumed.

"How did you know?" I asked.

"Because Scott is terrible at hiding it," Stiles put in. "He's like my brother, but he's an idiot sometimes." I snickered at that comment.

"Allison isn't so good at it either. It's obvious they're still together," she commented.

"Really? It's _that_ obvious?" I furrowed my eyebrows.

"To me, it is. I doubt anyone else notices them," Bella responded. Mike vomited again, filling my ears with horrendous sounds. I frowned, wishing someone else could share this burden.

"You okay?" Stiles asked, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"No. I'm not okay. I can hear him vomiting!" I hissed, shuddering. "This is so disgusting." Bella went over to join Jacob and Lydia, though Lydia came over to us instead.

"Well? Good personality?" I smirked.

"Very," she flicked her hair. We both chuckled then Lydia told us she was going to head home. We said goodbye and then it was just Stiles and I. Jacob and Bella were having an extremely private conversation that I wished I couldn't hear so I could give them privacy. Jacob was expressing feelings for Bella while she told him not to ruin everything. Now they were fighting about Edward. They began to grow silent so Stiles and I decided to join them. Stiles and Jacob immediately began laughing about the movie and its poor special effects.

"Hey, we should all hang out again sometime," Bella suggested. "You know, the four of us."

"Yeah!" Stiles grinned.

"We could all hang out at my house and have pizza or something," Jacob agreed. Bella and I shared a look, the look that said we thought Stiles and Jacob were going to get along just fine.

Just then, Mike wiped his mouth as he shamefully slunk out of the bathroom. He walked over to Bella and Jacob with a mournful expression.

"I need to go home," Mike sighed. Noticing Jacob's extremely judgemental stare, he gulped. "I was feeling sick before the before." His heartbeat spiked. A lie.

"I think I caught whatever's going around," he scratched the back of his head. I thought back to when Bella said Angela had been sick and Eric was taking care of her.

"Feeling sick?" Jacob asked, glaring. "Maybe you need to go to the hospital." Mike's eyes widened and he stared blankly at Jacob.

"How about I _put_ you in the hospital?" Jacob stood up and attempted to walk towards Mike but Bella grasped Jacob's forearm. Her eyebrows drew together as her hand made contact with his skin.

"Jacob, you're really hot. You're burning up," she frowned as her hand travelled to his forehead. Curious, I put my hand against his forehead. It was searing hot. You could cook an egg off his head if you wanted to.

"Jacob, she's right," I agreed. Mike had tears brimming his eyes along with horror.

"I've gotta go," Jacob said quickly as he raced outside. Now, it was just Bella, Stiles, Mike and myself.

"I'll drive you home," Bella offered. He nodded in appreciation. "See you guys later!"

"Bye guys. Feel better, Mike," I called after them.

"Thanks!" Mike coughed. Stiles and I headed to the Jeep.

"He was lying, wasn't he?" Stiles asked as soon as we were in the Jeep.

"About what?"

"About being sick before Facepunch," he replied.

"Yep."

"Knew it," Stiles grinned as he drove. "What's up with Jacob?"

"Yeah. You didn't feel his skin like I did. It was really hot. You said my skin feels like holding a mug of coffee?" I asked, he nodded. "Yeah, well, his skin was probably like sticking your hand into boiling water."

"So his skin is burning hot and he randomly raged at Mike. Sounding familiar?" Stiles prompted.

"This was nothing like the temperatures Scott gets to during full moons," I shook my head.

"This is weird," Stiles sighed.

"This is very weird," I agreed. "But he's not a werewolf."

"What?"

"He didn't smell," I admitted.

"Maybe he's just turning for the first time and he won't smell until after his first full moon," Stiles guessed.

"Yeah, maybe. If we organize that pizza hangout, we might get the opportunity to see what's really up here," I nodded.

"Aside from his freak out, he seemed like a nice kid," I commented. "You two would probably get along." I looked over at Stiles who didn't reply. He seemed lost in thought and he was grinning to himself as we pulled into the driveway. He parked and we just sat in the drive.

"What are you smiling about?" I asked him. No reply. "Stiles!"

"Yeah?" He whipped around to face me, returning to himself. The smile was gone from his face.

"What were you smiling about?" I asked again, rolling my eyes.

"You love me," he grinned. I looked up at him, head tilted slightly to the side and I blushed fiercely. A smile crept up on my face, too.

"Yeah, I do," I agreed, nodding. My blonde curls bounced as I nodded. He leaned over, cupping my face with one hand so that his thumb was brushing against my cheekbone. He gently guided my face over to his, slightly awkwardly due to being in a Jeep, and softly kissed me.

"Back together, huh?" A voice spoke from outside just as a tapping sound was unleashed on the window. Stiles and I quickly separated to find the sheriff raising his eyebrow at us. Stiles rolled down the window with a sheepish grin on his face.

"I thought you two were broken up?" Stilinski folded his arms.

"Well, it was just a break...a really long break," Stiles shrugged.

"Mhm." The sheriff clearly wasn't buying it. "So, what are you both up to?"

"Homework," Stiles lied. "Once we get in, we have a project to do."

"Homework, huh? What class? Studying each other's faces? Stiles, get out of the car." Stilinski rolled his eyes.

"Okay," Stiles quickly agreed. I got out as well.

"So, you guys are actually official this time?" He asked.

"Yep," I smiled shyly.

"Glad you popped the question. That boy can't shut up about you," Sheriff laughed.

"Oh, I didn't ask him out...He asked me," I told him.

"Stiles? You asked a girl out?" His dad appeared genuinely shocked.

"Uh yes, Dad. Is that a problem?" Stiles didn't seem so impressed that his father doubted his skills with women.

"Not at all. I'm proud of you, son." The sheriff slapped his son on the shoulder, grinning.

"Hey, listen. We're having pizza. You hungry? Why don't you join us?" The Sheriff turned to me.

"Oh, thank you, Sheriff." I grinned, glad to be accepted by his dad.

"Please, call me Noah. When you're over here anyways," he waved me off. Just as he was about to enter the house, he turned to face us again. "Hey, isn't that your car over there, Summer?" He pointed to my house where my Audi sat.

"Yes," I replied slowly, wondering where this was going.

"In front of the house with the for sale sign which is covered with 'sold'?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Yes…" Stiles and I stared at him with slight nervousness.

"I don't even want to know," he threw his hands back in defeat. Stiles and I shared a look before bursting out into laughter. The three of us entered the Stilinski house to have a night filled with pizza and laughter. It wasn't nearly as awkward as I thought it would be. The Sheriff - Noah - and I talked a lot, getting to know each other while teasing Stiles along the way. Noah wasn't too happy to learn the amount of times Stiles had gotten me in detention. We laughed it off, though.

After dinner, when Stiles was in the bathroom, Noah Stilinski approached me.

"Hey, the Cullens aren't back, right?" He questioned, "They're still gone?"

"Yeah…" I admitted.

"Who are you living with, then?" _The question._ I sighed at his question. _Am I seriously about to tell a my boyfriend's dad, a police officer, that I live by myself? Or do I lie?_

"My family bought the house, but I live on my own," I confessed.

"Summer," he sighed, rubbing his palm along his face. "Look, I'm the sheriff and I can't go around making exceptions just because you're dating my son. But, if you don't tell anyone, neither will I."

"Thanks, Sher- Noah," I smiled, grateful.

"Listen, if you're ever feeling lonely over there, you can crash here. Just, kick Stiles down here to the couch," Noah offered.

"Thank you very much," I thanked him again.

"No, thank you. I just want what's best for my son and right now, you're the best thing for him. You don't see the look on his face when he comes home after seeing you. He seemed especially happy today. He's better now. I was worried about him when you left. Thanks for coming back. Now, he's coming back so just tell him we were talking about him. Mention a swimming pool," Noah chuckled. I was fighting to contain my blush at the thought of Stiles being so happy because of me. I nodded at Stilinski and waited for Stiles. When he came out of the bathroom, I pretended to stop talking.

"Oh, Stiles. We were just talking about you," I waved at him.

"You were?" He frowned.

"Oh yeah, I was telling her all kinds of stories," Noah added.

"Mhm, sure you were," Stiles raised his eyebrows, his face relaxed. Clearly, he didn't believe us.

"Yeah, he mentioned something about a pool?" I pretended to remember something.

"Wait, what?" His face grew very serious all of a sudden. A light blush swept across his cheeks.

"See you later, Summer," Stilinski waved, retreating into the lounge. Stiles blinked at me, seeming unsure of what happened.

"I never peed in the pool! He was lying!" Stiles defended himself. I covered my mouth instantly, staring at him.

"What?" He glared.

"We were kidding, Stiles. He didn't tell me anything," I giggled. Stiles' cheeks grew slightly darker.

"Oh god. Nice one, Dad!" He called into the lounge, glaring. "It's still not true though. But if he didn't say that, what did he say then?" I took a step closer to him so he had to look down because of how close I was. I pressed my body against his and brushed my lips against his ear.

"He said I can come over whenever I want," I whispered before gently resting my hands against his jaw line. I pressed a kiss to his cheek before moving to his ear again. Stiles' heart hammered like a drum.

"See you later," I whispered before heading to the door. Stiles stood motionless, still in shock.

"Thanks for having me over! Bye, Noah!" I called, leaving the Stilinski house for my own.


	12. A Satanic Mechanic

Stiles had gone to the mechanic after school to fix his Jeep. The sky had since blackened and the pale moon illuminated the sky. He was still there. Clearly, Stiles wasn't having fun because he kept texting me and complaining about the "douchebag mechanic" then eventually he phoned me.

"Can you come over here? I think I'm going to dig up Peter Hale and throw myself onto his evil claws," Stiles groaned something to the mechanic after he said this to me.

"Okay. I'll be there shortly. Don't kill yourself or the satanic mechanic," I sang the last part to the tune of "Sweet Transvestite" from _Rocky Horror Picture Show._

"What?"

"Nevermind," I told him. I began to think that Brad and Janet from the film would be a good couples costume on Halloween, so long as it was dressed Brad and Janet. Not the alternatives.

I debated driving over there, but since it was dark I decided to run. A colossal grin etched on my face as the wind whipped through my hair and glided over my pale face.

I arrived at the mechanic's shop which I knew Stiles would be at. Relief oozed from his features when he saw me walk up to the door.

"Thank god. Can I _please_ kill the mechanic? Even better, could you do it? My dad is a cop and I don't want to ruin his reputation," Stiles begged.

"The puppy eyes are cute, but I would have to live with my conscious longer than you," I shook my head. For his adorable face, I kissed his cheek gently and then ventured further into the shop. As soon as I got in there, the two began arguing. The mechanic apparently was adding more to the Jeep than what was asked for. Stiles stormed away from him, a pleading look in his eyes.

"We're not killing him, Stiles. Look, when I die, I'll haunt him for this but we're not going to _kill_ him," I rolled my eyes.

" _When_ you die? You're immortal," Stiles stated.

"Screw that. I'm not going to roam this planet forever," I snorted. "Besides, we don't know for sure if I'm immortal." Stiles chuckled and reached for the door handle to leave the work area. His hand quickly retracted after the handle turned and he grimaced. Assuming he hurt himself somehow, I grabbed his hand to look. A cold, slightly sticky, oozing, transparent substance invaded my fingers from Stiles' hand.

"Oh, gross!" I exclaimed.

"Nice. Real sanitary. Quality establishment you're running here!" Stiles called out to the mechanic.

"I don't even want to know what that was," I shuddered. A picture of a young Lacrosse player hung on the wall. I recognized the man as the mechanic.

"Tucker Cornish, huh?" I looked at the name on the plaque below it. I noticed a clean shirt with a name tag "Tucker" on the front. I wiped my hand on it then tossed it to Stiles. He quickly wiped the goo on Tucker's shirt before throwing it off to the side.

"Something smells weird," I sniffed the air, noticing the sudden change of scent.

"That's probably the mechanic. Who knows what he's been smoking in there?" Stiles frowned in disgust.

"No, it smells like a-"

"-Lizard," Stiles quickly finished.

"How-?" I turned around to what Stiles was facing with wide eyes. A large, black scaled creature with slitted eyes the colour of yield lights was crouched on top of the Jeep. Before I could even warn the man, the lizard-like creature reached down and slashed the back of the man's neck. My fingers began to tingle as the man instantly dropped under the Jeep. I grabbed Stiles' arm to protect him.

A hissing sound came from the same area and suddenly the Jeep began to lower.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! No!" Stiles and I began frantically screaming. Stiles whipped out his phone and began calling the police. His hands trembled which I first thought was fear until I noticed mine were still shaking. The tips of my fingers began to lose feeling and I looked over at Stiles. The phone slipped out of his hands. Normally, I would have caught it, but instead I slipped to the floor. Vampires and Hybrids _don't_ fall by accident. Our balance is too good, but I fell anyways.

The Jeep inched closer to the mechanic and I heard a thump as Stiles fell. I used the last movement in my left hand to cover Stiles' eyes and the right to press call on Stiles' dropped phone. He had managed to type the number already. As I did, my hand lost the ability to move completely, no matter how hard I fought it. I couldn't move my head which was pointed at the horrific scene in front of me. The Jeep was just about to hit the mechanic so I clamped my eyes shut.

"Don't look, Stiles. Don't look," I whispered even though I had covered his eyes. The mechanic's screams erupted through the shop, but ended just as quickly as they started. I could hear the crunch of his bones as the Jeep compacted them to nothing. Tears sprung from my closed eyes and then the operator finally picked up.

"Nine one one. What's your emergency?" A woman's voice asked.

"There's been an accident," I weakly told the phone.

"I'm sorry. I can't hear you. The phone sounds far away. Are you alright?"

"Mechanic shop!" I coughed out as loudly as I could.

"Someone is on the way," she replied. Stiles stayed silent, but his breathing filled my ears. It was slightly calming to hear his breaths, although it was sped up from fear. His heart thumped wildly in his chest, as did mine.

My hand was splayed oddly on his face. The majority was over his eyes, but my thumb was resting over his lips. Surprisingly, while everything else was paralyzed, our mouths weren't. I felt Stiles' lips press upwards onto my thumb before dropping again. A small kiss.

"Thank you," I whispered, truly grateful to have him with me despite us being in danger. He hummed in response, a solemn hum. Had he opened his mouth, my thumb would have gone in his mouth so I was glad he kept it closed.

I finally began to feel my toes. I asked Stiles if he could too, but he negatively hummed in response. I fought hard against the paralysis, willing each toe to move. I finally got my feet moving and then both legs. By the time I could move my arms and legs, Stiles began to feel his toes. I forced myself up off the floor, which was harder than I anticipated. Stiles stared in amazement as I stood before him. The paralytic agent had worn off me more quickly due to my partial vampirism, I assumed.

"Happy my hand is off you, now?" I grinned, trying to lift the mood.

"Very," Stiles sighed.

"Can you move your hands?" I asked.

"Fingers," he corrected.

"Keep working at moving your hands and feet," I ordered. I propped him up against the wall, which he was pleased about. Lying on the floor for a long time was quite irritating. I sat beside him against the wall and slung his arm around my shoulders. I leaned into him while maintaining my hold on him. Stiles moved his hand into mine, intertwining our fingers. I smiled, glad that he was regaining motion.

"Tingles, huh?" I sighed.

"Yep," he nodded. Slowly, his legs came up so that his knees were bent. He pulled me into him, closer than I had been before.

"If I help you, do you think you can stand? I hear the sirens," I offered. He agreed and I stood up, being sure not to knock him over considering he had been quite close to me just a moment ago. He took my outstretched hands and I pulled him to his feet. Stiles rocked slightly, almost falling into me had I not steadied him. We slowly walked around the room together, getting him used to walking again. Neither one of us dared go near the window, for fear of seeing the body. We didn't speak about it, saving the traumatic experience for the police. We did, however, come up with a story. There was no way we were going to tell them about the lizard creature murdering a mechanic.

We decided it would look quite strange if we were waiting in the back room so we made our way to the front door of the shop. Stiles had given me his hoodie so that I could sniff that rather than the blood. _Blood_. There was so much of it. I could still smell the sweet smell of blood through the hoodie, but the scent of Stiles gave me a sense of familiarity and control.

The sirens grew louder and a couple squad cars rolled up to the shop as well as an ambulance and a firetruck. I quickly threw Stiles' hoodie around me so they didn't question why I had it. Stiles was wearing a long sleeve shirt and convinced me he wasn't cold. I could tell by his heartbeat that he was telling the truth.

When the police found out that there was a corpse, they called for more police. They began to question Stiles and I. Two of the policemen included Stiles' father and Bella's father. Each of us told the same story; Stiles dropped off the Jeep and we went for a walk while the mechanic worked. When we came back, we found him dead. After calling the cops, I had dropped the phone which resulted in the phone conversation sounding like I was far away. I didn't pick it up because I was too shocked from seeing the dead man.

The officers seemed to buy the story Stiles and I told them.

"I told you. We just - we walked in the shop after our walk and he was just lying there with the Jeep on top of him," I heard Stiles explaining to his dad for the third time.

The time read just past midnight. We were exhausted, visible only on Stiles's face though.

"Can we leave now? We've been here for hours," Stiles asked his father.

"I don't think you can get any more out of them, Sheriff," Bella's father, Charlie, patted Stilinski's shoulder. The Sheriff nodded, turning to us.

"Take her home, Stiles," he sighed. Stiles nodded, taking me by the hand. As we passed Charlie Swan, I briefly rested my hand on his shoulder and thanked him for letting us go home. He nodded gruffly, uncomfortable with the interaction. I had forgotten how awkward Bella's father was. Stiles suddenly paused and turned back to his father.

"Where's my Jeep?" Stiles asked.

"Evidence," Sheriff Stilinski shrugged. Stiles scowled and looked to me for help.

"I didn't bring a car," I murmured. Stiles sighed loudly before reaching into my pocket and grabbing my phone. I shuddered at the touch, glad the dark sky hid my flushed cheeks. Stiles' phone had a small crack in the screen from dropping it and he had said to me that he couldn't bear to look at it just yet. I had rolled my eyes at him when he had said that.

"Hey, Scotty. Can you borrow your mom's car?" He sighed into the phone. I was about to point out that I could just run us home, but I had a feeling Stiles wouldn't be up for that. He would probably say something about his "manliness".

I could hear Scott's sigh through the phone and I would have laughed if it weren't for the current situation. I had tried laughing about the paralysis to enlighten the mood earlier, but it felt wrong. It did nothing for my mood. Stiles handed me my phone back after he finished convincing Scott to collect us from the mechanic shop.

Stiles' arms slid around me and he pulled me into his chest, pressing his lips to my temple.

"What was that thing?" I whispered. My body involuntarily shivered as I remembered the dark reptilian creature with the slitted eyes. "Why did it leave us alone but kill Tucker? It could have killed us, so why didn't it?"

"I don't know. Maybe it sensed you're different and didn't think it could take you. You could probably kick its ass." Stiles suggested, the look on his face suggesting that the thought hadn't really occurred to him.

When Scott rolled up to the mechanic's, Stiles sat in the passenger while I volunteered to lurk in the back.

"It isn't like you at all," Stiles started as Scott prepared to drive away. "Its eyes were reptilian, but there was something about them." At this, I raised my head. Stiles didn't really mention the eyes to me. He must've been waiting for Scott so he could explain to us both at once.

Scott questioned what Stiles meant, to which he replied, "you know when you see a friend, like in a Halloween mask but all you can see are their eyes and you feel like you know them, but you just can't figure out who it is?" _Did Stiles know who that thing was?_ I wondered, _and_ _if he did know, how?_

"Stiles," I began.

"Do you know who it is?" Scott asked, finishing what I was going to ask.

"No," Stiles shook his head which further confused me and apparently Scott, judging by his expression.

"Stiles?" I repeated, this time as more of a question.

"No, I don't know who it is, but I think it knew me. I think it knew you too, Summer. It looked at us both curiously," he explained.

"You think it knew both of us?" I stared at Stiles from the backseat. He nodded and the three of us shared a look, a look of wonder that contained two questions: Who is the creature and was it a coincidence that it killed someone at the place Stiles and I were at?


	13. Sciles

"I'm so sorry about the other day. I'm trying. We'll get through this. Uh, I know, because I love you," Stiles spoke, staring into the eyes of the one in front of him. "I love you more than- Oh my god. I can't! You and Allison have got to find a better way to communicate." He retracted his stare at Scott, throwing his head into his hands. I crinkled my nose in confusion, holding back my laughter at the two boys. Scott and Stiles were sat on the stairs of the high school while Stiles proclaimed his love and I was leaning against the wall watching them. Scott's eyes were wide with anticipation, waiting for the words to escape Stiles' mouth.

"Come on, Stiles. You're my brother. This is what brothers do for each other," Scott pleaded. With Allison and Scott banned from dating and seeing each other, that left Stiles and I on communication duty for the secret couple.

"Can't Summer do it?" Stiles complained.

"You really want me telling someone else I love them?" I taunted, then quickly covered my mouth, blushing heavily. Stiles and I hadn't mentioned what went down at the cinema to Scott, well I didn't at least.

"Stiles already told me," Scott shrugged it off. Of course he did.

"Well, no, but you think I really want to?" Stiles replied to me.

"Is Allison coming to the game tonight?" Scott asked Stiles.

"Yes," Stiles and I answered at the same time.

"How did you know?" Stiles raised his eyebrow at me.

"I texted her," I shrugged.

"Wait. You let me run all the way over to her outside when you just texted her?" Stiles frowned.

"You're welcome," I grinned sheepishly. "Allison and I are friends. It isn't weird if _I_ text her." Stiles stared at me aggressively for a moment - to which I replied by shaping a heart with my hands - before turning to Scott.

"What did Deaton say?" He asked his best friend. While Stiles and I were on Scallison (What we decided to call Scott and Allison's relationship) communication duty, Scott was tasked with talking to Dr. Deaton about the Argents.

"He thinks the Argents keep some kind of record of all the things they've hunted. Like a book," Scott explained.

"He probably means a bestiary," Stiles nodded, familiar with what Scott was describing. The word "bestiary" seemed familiar to me, but I couldn't quite think of why.

"What?" Scott blinked.

"A bestiary," Stiles repeated himself.

"I think you mean beastiality," Scott chuckled, an immature grin etched on his face. I blinked, not knowing how to respond to that.

"Nope, pretty sure I don't," Stiles shook his head. "It's like an encyclopedia of mythical creatures." That explanation triggered my memory.

"Oh yeah. There was one about ice creatures on that game you were playing," I remembered aloud.

"Yes. Herbane's Bestiary: Ice Wraiths from Skyrim. It is one of three bestiary segments in the game. You were actually paying attention?" Stiles looked surprised.

"I always pay attention to you," I smiled at him, my heart quickening for just a second. He grinned at me, the same stupid grin I was used to.

"How am I the only one who doesn't know anything about these things?" Scott frowned.

"Because Stiles spends the majority of playing video games. I have been watching him play. He's teaching me his ways. Also, I have been alive for fifty years. You tend to learn a thing or two in that time," I responded.

"Also, you're my best friend and a creature of the night. It's kind of my job to know this stuff," Stiles added.

"We should find this thing then because if it can tell us what that thing is-"

"-and who," Stiles interrupted Scott.

"I say let's find Herbane's Bestiary: Lizards of Beacon Hills," I decided and the boys nodded, though Stiles was slightly more impressed.

The plan worked like this: Scott and Stiles sat together while I was with Allison at the other end of the school. We were outside, sat on a bench while the boys were inside. I was on the phone with Stiles so that the four of us could talk without anything looking suspicious. Well, unless someone was really smart...and observant. Allison and I each had an earbud in so that we could both listen to the call without it having to be on speakerphone or having to repeat ourselves. We didn't know who could be listening. Scott and Stiles did the same thing.

"Okay, Allison. We're looking for a bestiary," Stiles started once everyone got everything in order.

"I think you mean-" Allison giggled, but Stiles interrupted her.

"No. I mean bestiary," Stiles said quickly, causing me to laugh. "And the two of you, I don't want to know what's going on in your heads."

"I don't really want to know either, honestly," I agreed. "Wait, does your relationship count as-" I stopped myself. "Nope nevermind."

"Thank you for stopping yourself. That's something I'd rather not think about," Stiles sighed.

"Okay, anyways. Can you describe this thing?" Allison asked, getting us back on track.

"Probably some kind of book. Old and worn most likely," Stiles described.

"This is just an assumption though," I added.

"An assumption based off a video game," Scott sighed and I could practically hear his eyes rolling.

"Well you'd assume an encyclopedia was a physical book, Scott," Stiles argued. Allison and I shook our heads, amused at the squabbling.

"Book," said Allison thoughtfully. "Like bound in leather?"

"Yes!" Stiles agreed. "Even better."

"I've seen Gerard with something like that," Allison told us.

"Have you seen what's in the book?" I asked.

"No, but I think he keeps it in his office," she spoke.

"Can you get it?" Scott asked.

"Not without the keys," she shook her head, causing her dark curls to brush against my shoulder.

"Invite him to the game," Scott suggested after a moment of silence, due to us thinking of a plan to get them.

"Good thinking, Scott," Stiles praised.

"He keeps his keys in his coat pocket. I could ask for his coat," Allison spoke slowly as if she were figuring it out as she went along.

"I can't get them from you. I have to play," Scott sounded uncomfortable, knowing someone else would have to.

"I'll do it," Stiles happily volunteered. "Don't give me that look, Scott. I have to be Batman sometimes."

"Stiles-" I began to protest.

"Nope. I've got this," he grinned. "Also, we should have a group chat on our phones just in case something goes wrong."

"I won't have my phone," Scott said just as Allison said, "my parents check my messages."

"I'm making one anyways. Sorry Allison, you'll have to stay out of it," Stiles decided. My phone lit up with a notification saying ' _NEW MESSAGE FROM_ _ **THE BATCAVE**_ _'._

"The Batcave?" I asked.

"Well, yeah cause Scott's Batman, you're Batgirl and I'm Nightwing," Stiles explained.

"You just said you were-"

"I know, but Scott is sort of the leader and I refuse to be Robin. Nightwing is so much cooler," he told us.

"And I thought I was-"

"Catwoman is a villain. We're heroes," Stiles countered.

"Alright. As the biggest nerd here, you are in charge of our names," I gave up.

"Damn right," Stiles said excitedly.

"Alright. We're hanging up because this is just a bit strange and confusing," Allison said. We said goodbye and ended the call. I ripped the earbud from my ear and handed it to Allison.

"Remind me to never do that again," I grimaced.

"What? Headphones?" Allison asked.

"Yep. My ears are far too sensitive for that," I told her. We both headed to our first class of the day, going over the plan as we went.

My phone vibrated in the pocket of my grey and white striped dress just as the bell rang for lunch. I slid my phone out to find a text from Bella.

 **Bella: Jacob's got mono.**

I decided to go find out more information from her about Jacob and his apparent illness. I located Bella quickly, using my heightened sense of smell.

"So he has mono?" I repeated what Bella had just told me about Jacob over text. The contraction method for mono didn't add up with his personality, but I didn't mention it.

"That's what Billy, his dad, told me," Bella shrugged.

"Wow, that must suck," I replied awkwardly, unsure how to respond.

"Probably. I've tried calling him a few times, but Billy keeps saying the same thing. He's still sick. I'm not even allowed to visit," Bella frowned.

"I'm sure he'll call you as soon as he's feeling better," I told her. "I mean, he's basically in love with you."

"I know," she cringed. I knew she was implying that she wasn't ready for anything just yet, and I understood so I said nothing.

"Are you going to the lacrosse game tonight?" I diverted.

"I think I've confused and scared Charlie enough for the past few months. Suddenly going to a sports game will give him a heart attack," Bella brushed her dark hair out of her face.

"That's true. In this town, we need all the law enforcement we can get," I joked. "Don't kill him."

"Is Stiles playing?" Bella asked.

"I don't think so," I shrugged. "Scott is and Stiles has to be there whether he plays or not. I'm keeping him company."

"And you're doing supernatural stuff, too. Right?" She saw right through me.

"Yeah. Well, kind of. We're looking for a bestiary," I confessed.

"A _what?_ Do you mean-"

"NO," I quickly shot that down. "You are the third person to think that. A bestiary is basically a book filled with information about supernatural creatures."

"Why do you want that?"

"Just to help us in the future," I told her. It wasn't a complete lie.

"Well, this is my classroom. Have fun," she waved.

It was time for the lacrosse game. Scott was tying up his shoes next to Stiles, who sat wearing a thin red jacket and track pants.

"Stiles!" I hissed. "Aren't you cold?" Scott chuckled, warm in his thick lacrosse gear.

"Aren't you?" He countered, then seeing my glare, sighed. "I didn't know it would be this cold outside. His hands slid together as he tried to warm them. He caught my eye and smiled sheepishly. I passed him my hands and his breath fogged up as he sighed with relief. He clung to my hands as if they were all that would prevent him from falling off a cliff. Scott shook his head and I laughed. Light curls tumbled down Stiles' shoulder and chest as I rested my head against him. A soft pressure appeared on the top of my head as Stiles kissed it.

The game started and the players ran out onto the field, wielding their lacrosse sticks. After a few minutes, Coach Finstock was screaming wildly, not unlike him at all.

"Come on! Is that thing even a teenager?" He roared. I didn't need to look where he was pointing to because my eyes were already glued to the monstrosity of a human being. The player was colossal in size, towering even over our biggest player like Godzilla over Tokyo.

"I want to see a birth certificate!" Coach continued. "Who or what is that genetic experiment gone wrong?!" I snickered at Coach's antics.

"Eddie Abramovitz, Coach. They call him the Abomination," Stiles answered Coach's screams.

"Fitting," I commented at the same time Finstock said, "That's cute." The Abomination, however, was far from cute. He had knocked a few BHHS kids down hard.

"McCall!" I heard Jerkson Whittemore hiss. "What are you doing? This is the semi-finals. Bring that roid-head into the ground!"

"Me?" Scott scoffed. "You're the one who said I was a cheater."

"You do something, Jackass, since you're so high and mighty," I muttered.

"That freak being out there isn't exactly fair, either! Do something!" Jackson demanded.

"I can't," Scott shook his head. "Not with Allison's grandfather here." I turned to look at Allison then, to see if she was going forward with the plan. She was just slipping on Gerard's jacket. Stiles let go of my hands as he stood up to go fulfill his part.

"If anything goes wrong, text me. If you text me anything that doesn't scream success, I'll assume something is wrong and I'll come get you," I told him.

"Can I text the group chat?" Stiles asked, excited about our new group. Scott tilted his head at Stiles in disbelief as he headed back out onto the field.

I watched Stiles walk away, going past where Allison sat. Her arm dangled over the bleachers, keys in her hand. Stiles grabbed them as he past and soon he disappeared from my sight. My heart jumped as my phone buzzed. _It could just be Bella,_ I told myself. _Nothing to worry about._

Scott looked my way in worry. When I saw the text, I shook my head at Scott and whispered "false alarm."

 **Stiles: Lydia is crying in her car. Maybe you could talk to her, Sum.**

My heart danced a little at the nickname 'Sum'. Emmett calls me that. I missed him. _When I got home, I'll call them,_ I decided.

 **To THE BATCAVE: Yeah. I'll talk to her.**

 **Stiles: Okay. Going forth with the plan now.**

 **To THE BATCAVE: Okay**

"Lydia is sad apparently. Going to check on her," I said quietly so only he could hear. I saw Scott nod my way as he zoomed around on the field.

Lydia's sobs filled my ears as I approached the parking lot. I spotted her car and tapped on the window once I got to it. Black tear-stained eyes met mine. I have the crying girl a sympathetic look.

"Lydia, you alright?" I asked.

"Yeah, fine. You can go back to the game," she waved me off.

"What's wrong? I want to talk to you," I begged, tapping on the window again.

"Nothing, just go. It's fine." When she realized I wasn't leaving, she sighed. "Look, I don't want anyone seeing my cry. Even you."

"Well, I'm not seeing Lydia Martin with a reputation to maintain crying. I'm seeing my friend cry and I'm here to comfort you," I tried.

"Fine. Get in here," Lydia agreed, unlocking her car. I sat in the passenger's seat and looked over at her.

"You know, Lydia. It doesn't matter if people see you cry. It doesn't make you weak, if that's what you're worried about. It means you're human and it means you're strong enough to let people see your emotions," I gave her the sleeve of my coat to wipe her tears on. She didn't say anything, but she smiled gratefully. Suddenly, the screams of the lacrosse crowd grew from the playing field.

"Where's Stilinski?!" Finstock's roars were barely heard over the crowd. My hearing allowed me to pick up his voice, but I doubted Lydia could hear.

"Look, I don't have much time to talk. I actually have to go now, but get yourself a bucket of ice cream because tomorrow we are going to have a nice long chat and sort this all out, okay?" She didn't respond to what I said, but she nodded with a small smile.

"Thanks," she whispered as I got out the car.

"You're strong, Lydia. Whatever this is about, you're going to be okay," I told her.

"STILINSKI!" A ferocious roar erupted from the field again. _Stiles is busy, but he wants to play. This is his chance to play and he's not here. He will be devastated._

An idea began to brew in my mind. I raced to the locker room and grabbed Stiles' lacrosse gear, number twenty-four shining bright.

When I got to the lacrosse field. The coach was just pointing at some guy.

"You! You play-" he broke off when he saw me. I stepped out, head to toe in lacrosse gear that was too big for me, but it certainly disguised my body. I kept my head low, though the helmet shielded my face from view.

"STILINSKI! THERE YOU ARE! ASS ON THE FIELD!" Finstock screamed. I twirled the stick in my hands, trying to remember the rules. "We may need you in a second, son," Finstock told the guy who he was thinking of sending out. I realized that he was talking to Boyd.

"Scott, I'm wearing Stiles' gear. How the hell do you play this damn game. I know the basics from watching a few games, but I might screw up," I whispered, knowing he could hear me.

"You what?" Scott hissed very quietly. "Just get the ball and pass it to me or if I pass it to you, shoot. The net you want to shoot at is the one behind me." I looked to where he was standing, then nodded.

"Don't tell Stiles this, but you pretty much look the same in gear," Scott told me as he passed by. "Heads."

A lacrosse ball came flying towards me, which I easily caught in the stick. I wove through the enemy players, including The Abomination. I remembered to keep my supernatural abilities to a minimum as I approached the net, for Gerard was in the crowd, suspicious as ever. Flinging the stick forward, the ball sailed from my net to the goalkeeper's. The ball curved along the back of the net, rolling onto the grass inside.

Cheers erupted from the crowd and from Coach, the loudest cheerleader of all. When the cheering died down, a voice caught my attention.

"That's not Stilinski," the voice said, a man.

"What? How do you know?" Another replied.

"First of all, he sucks at lacrosse and since when has Stilinski ever had a lady's ass?" That's when I recognized the voice. Danny Mahealani. I struggled not to laugh as I paused on the field. Two players, one of ours and one of theirs, fought for the ball which the ref had just put down. I didn't get it, but I didn't ask Scott about it. I felt a tap on my shoulderpad. I spun around to find Danny staring at me questioningly.

"Why are you wearing Stiles' gear? And where is he?" Danny asked.

"Well, he had to leave early due to an emergency and he didn't want to get kicked off the team," I lied.

"Okay. I won't tell Coach, not that he would care anyway. Just some advice: don't play too well or they'll notice when Stiles plays," Danny sighed and turned to leave.

"Hey, Danny?" I called out and he turned to look at me.

"Yeah?"

"You check out Stiles' ass?" I asked, to which Danny replied by blushing and going back to goal. The game kicked up again and The Abomination quickly demolished another Beacon Hills player.

"YOU'RE UP, KID!" Coach yelled at Boyd.

"No! Derek won't like this," Erica growled at him. That's when I realized she could hear us this whole time. It hadn't even occurred to me earlier. Boyd ignored her and stepped onto the field.

"We've got ourselves a player!" Coach sang out. I watched as Erica stormed away from the field. Boyd and The Abomination faced off on the field. The two collided, but Eddie Abramovitz went down, sending Coach into fangirl mode.

"The bigger they are, THE BIGGER THEY ARE!" Finstock screamed wildly, not taking that sentence in the direction I thought he would. Suddenly, I heard the ear-splitting crack of bone. I turned around to see a familiar player fall to the ground while Boyd ran from the scene, his golden eyes standing out in the dark.


	14. Beacon Hills Drowning Team

"Scott!" I gasped, watching him fall to the ground. I knew he would heal, but I still worried about him. I ran over to him at the same time Allison did.

"Summer?" Allison murmured. I pressed my finger against the helmet's face cage, telling her to keep it a secret.

"Oh my god!" Melissa McCall squealed, running towards her son with a large crowd, concerned about Beacon Hills' best player.

"Don't move, Scott," I cautioned.

"I'm fine," he shook his head. "I'm healing, it's okay. The book?"

"Stiles said it's not in his office. It's gotta be at the house. Let's look at your leg." Allison replied, crouching down. "Oh my god. It's broken."

"Not for long," Scott shook his head and began to move. Allison and I stretched out our hands when Scott began trying to stand. He grabbed our forearms and attempted to stand, favouring one leg only. It was better if he stayed on the ground, but there was no stopping him, so we may as well help him. His leg cracked into place as it healed, making me cringe. It reminded me of the time James ripped my arm from my body. I shuddered, remembering the cracking.

"Don't move!" Coach growled as he approached us.

"Scott!" Melissa stared in horror.

"It's okay. It's okay! I'm fine," Scott replied.

"I could've sworn I literally heard bone breaking from where I sat," she gasped.

"Heard it? I felt it," Coach Finstock shuddered.

"We wouldn't have let him stand if it was broken," Allison disagreed.

"Seriously guys, I'm - I'm fine…" Scott tried to calm them.

"We should go," Allison muttered. I nodded. Just as we turned away, Scott on our arms, a voice called to us.

"Hold on," the voice said. "I want to ask him one more thing." Allison and Scott stiffened in response to the voice, as did I. _Gerard,_ I realized.

"Scott, I don't know much about Lacrosse, but I do know what a great player looks like. Why don't you accompany Allison and I for dinner?" My eyes widened in shock, luckily shielded by Stiles' helmet.

"I-I wouldn't want to-"

"Nonsense. There's always room for one more, right Allison?" Gerard shook his head.

"Yeah, uh, sure," Allison mumbled.

"See you at _school_ tomorrow, _Stiles,"_ Scott waved to me. I got his secret message: _Find Stiles._ I nodded once and headed to the school immediately.

"This is very bad," I muttered under my breath. As bad as it was, I knew Allison and Scott could handle it. If the bestiary was at the Argent home, that was the best place for them right now.

As I got into the school, I heard Derek shout at Stiles. I gasped and ran towards the voice. I found myself in the pool area. Erica was unconscious on the ground and I remembered her stalking off away from the game. _I should've followed her,_ I realized. _She was going for Stiles._ To my horror, I noticed something in the pool: Stiles holding Derek up while trying to keep him afloat. His eyes locked on me, then his brows scrunched together.

"Who-"

"That's Summer, you moron," Derek growled.

"Why are you-"

"I'll explain another time," I replied as I took off the helmet and put it down on the tiles. "I'm gonna get you-" Suddenly a sharp pain presented itself on the back of my neck. My hand immediately clamped around my neck as I cursed at the pain. Only werewolves and vampires could hurt me, so what just happened?

"Summer!" Stiles cried out.

"The lizard," I realized as my body started to go numb. I began to rip out Stiles' shoulder pads and I managed to get one half off when my motor functions were cut off. I fell into the pool, weighed down by the lacrosse gear. Stiles splashed towards me, Derek in tow. He ripped me out from under the water I had just begun to sink in. Stiles cried out in struggle.

"I can't hold both of you," he realized with a frantic tone. "The lacrosse gear is too heavy with the water."

"Take it off," I instructed with a gasp for breath. "Or drop me."

"I'll never let go of you!" Stiles promised.

"Just take the gear off," I sputtered, water entering my mouth. Stiles moved me across him as best as he could.

"Derek, rip it with your teeth," he demanded. Derek clamped onto the back of the jersey and tore. Stiles pulled us into a tight group hug as he finished the job and let the jersey sink to the bottom of the pool. Realizing I only had a bra on underneath the jersey, he clutched me close to his body, covering me as best as he could. He made sure to shield me from Derek.

I looked over Stiles' shoulder to see a black figure circling the pool.

"It's circling us," I whispered.

"That's why we're in here," Stiles nodded.

"No, Stiles, we're in here because _you_ threw us in here!" Derek hissed.

"Wait. Did you see that?" Stiles gasped. "I don't think it can swim." I whispered to Stiles that I couldn't see what was happening. He described the thing's actions. Its foot touched the pool and retracted immediately.

After a while, Stiles said, "I don't think I can do this anymore."  
"No no no no," Derek growled. "Don't even think about it."

"Summer, where's your phone?"

"I think I left it on the bleachers or with my clothes in the locker room," I guessed.

"I need to call Scott," Stiles admitted.

"He's at the Argent's," I told him.

"Looking for the book?"

"Gerard invited him to dinner with the Argents," I shook my head.

"Oh my god," he grimaced.

"This is an emergency," Stiles tried to justify himself.

"Where's your phone?" I asked.

"Outside the pool," he sighed.

"Stiles, no," Derek said sternly.

"Can't you just trust me?" Stiles asked. Though I knew he was talking to Derek only, I decided to reply.

"Stiles, do what you have to do. I trust you," I told him. He pressed a quick kiss to my cheek, his lips wet against my already wet cheek.

"No," Derek gave his own answer.

"I think you're going to have to trust him this time," I told Derek. "What other choice do either of us have? Without Stiles, we'd drown. Well, you at least would. I don't know if I can drown," I sighed.

"Exactly. Have you noticed that I'm the only keeping you alive right now?" Stiles agreed.

"Yeah and when the paralysis wears off, who is gonna be able to fight that thing? You or me?" Derek countered.

"Summer," Stiles said thoughtfully.

"She can barely handle herself around a little blood and those claws damage her. She isn't invincible! Do you really think you can just dunk her under the water and risk drowning your girlfriend?" Derek taunted.

"Stiles, I'll be fine. Do what you have to do," I spoke over Derek. Stiles tilted my head so that I could see him. His eyes were full of worry. "You can't hold us both and keep yourself up. Eventually, you're gonna go under too. What's the use of three drowning people? You're the only person who can get help," I told him. He gave a slight nod, eyes wide. From our necks down, we were all underwater, our heads only above the water minimally. Water droplets flicked up onto my face as Stiles pressed his wet face against mine. A soaked strand of tangled blonde hair clung to his cheek as we separated.

"It's okay," I whispered. There were tears brimming his eyes, though it could have just been the pool water.

"Stiles!" Derek roared as Stiles let go of both of us. My body felt the urge to swim up to the surface, but it wouldn't move. The paralysis was stronger. My fingers twitched, reaching upwards. I held my breath, glad I could hold my breath longer than humans. I looked over at Derek with worry. I doubted he could do the same. The two of us sank to the bottom of the pool, staring into each other's eyes. I knew Derek was mad at Stiles, but I wasn't. We needed Scott. With the two capable of fighting out of play, we needed somebody who could. My eyes quickly scanned the surface of the pool, looking for any sign of Stiles.

Derek's eyebrows twitched in struggle, then a burst of bubbles exploded from his mouth as he could no longer hold his breath. My eyes expanded in worry. I could vaguely hear Stiles' voice as I saw his legs approach above us. A small object began sinking down towards us. _Stiles' phone_ , I realized. I tried to help Stiles by moving my body, but only my wrists to my fingers would work. Stiles' face appeared in my vision, coming towards me. I shook my head at him and used the little movement in my hands to point at Derek. Stiles grabbed Derek, noticing the bubbles escaping the werewolf's mouth.

As soon as they were halfway to the surface, I gasped. The pressure on my head was too much to handle anymore and I released my breath in relief. My breath raced to the surface in the form of bubbles and I could feel water filling my mouth and body. Black edged around my vision and I began to feel tired. _I'll just close my eyes for a moment,_ I told myself. The chlorine didn't feel nice anyway.

"Stiles," I muttered, bubbles replacing the words as I saw him go under the water with Derek. I closed my eyes and darkness took me.

"Summer!" A distant voice called out. I tried to focus on the voice, but I was distracted by the darkness all around me. Something pounded against my chest. "Summer!" Something cold dripped down my chin. Was it my chin? I couldn't quite tell. I could feel pressure somewhere on my face, then softness where my lips should be. A gust of air filled my mouth, then water. My eyes snapped open and I launched forwards, water spraying from my mouth with a series of coughing. As my vision focused, I looked around and saw the pool beside me. Stiles was sat in front of me, eyes as wide as the moon. His hands cupped my cheeks and he searched my eyes with his.

"Summer," he breathed. "Are you okay?" I blinked at him, not quite registering his words. I collapsed into his chest, curling into him. He gripped me tightly.

"You saved me," I whispered. Again, I looked around and noticed broken glass. I picked up a shard and stared at it. In the reflection, there was a ghostly pale person with purple lips and dark circles under their eyes. My lips parted in shock at the sight of my reflection. That's when I noticed the reflection's attire. I still wasn't wearing a shirt, I realized. I looked down at my semi-bare chest in horror. My arms immediately crossed, covering myself as best as I could. Stiles' eyes went from the size of the moon to the size of the sun as he too realized what I was wearing. He gripped the bottom of his shirt then paused.

"My shirt is wet, too. It won't help," he said sadly as if he had failed me. I shook my head quietly, telling him it was okay. I was definitely horrified, though. If I hadn't just drowned, I would've been blushing heavily. I had never been so exposed in front of anyone since I was a child. Scott raced into the room then.

"Scott," I said quietly, surprised. Scott ripped off his hoodie and gave it to Stiles as he continued to look around the pool for something. Stiles quickly wrapped the hoodie around me, pressing himself against me so he could shield me from everyone else as he got my arms through the sleeves. I fumbled with the zipper, zipping up the hoodie. Stiles reached out and pulled my hair out of the hoodie, the strands tumbling over my shoulders.

He kissed my forehead and whispered, "I love you. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"Stop," I told him. "You saved all of us, especially me." I kissed his neck and closed my eyes, feeling a sense of warmth despite being cold.

"You're already warming up," Stiles noticed, brushing his fingers against my cheeks. Scott walked up to us, phone in hand.

"I got it and downloaded it, but there's one problem," he told us. I looked up at Stiles in confusion.

"That's the bestiary," he explained. I nodded and turned back to Scott.

"It isn't in English," Scott revealed. He showed us the screen. Unfamiliar letters coated the pages, one I never learned.

"Is that even a language?" Stiles asked.

"Probably latin," I sighed. "Doesn't look like any language I know."

"How are we supposed to figure out what that thing is?" Scott complained as we left the school, Stiles' arms around me. I was carrying his torn lacrosse gear with intentions to repair it.

"It's called a Kanima," Derek suddenly appeared in front of us. My eyebrows immediately scrunched in rage. _How did he know?_

"You knew this whole time," Stiles glared at Derek, who shook his head in response.

"No. Only when it was confused by its own reflection," Derek explained. Scott and Stiles had filled me in with what I missed as we left the school. Derek was referring to the lizard creature - Kanima - looking at itself in a glass shard and immediately escaping. This all happened while I was passed out and half-dead of course.

"It doesn't know what it is," Scott realized.

"Or who," Derek added.

"What else do you know?" Stiles asked, rubbing his hands along my arms. I was about to remind him I don't get cold easily, but the sensation was too nice for me to stop him.

"Just stories, rumours," he shrugged in response to Stiles' question.

"But it's like us?" Scott guessed.

"A shape-shifter, yes but it's- it's not right. It's like a-"

"-an abomination," Stiles finished. I rested my head on his shoulder. The word abomination was so sad sometimes. To think of yourself as an abomination, a monster. It was a horrid feeling, one I knew well. _You're not a monster,_ I remembered something someone once told me, though I could never remember who told me.

"So, someone is running around killing people, not knowing who or what they are?" I asked sadly. Derek gave a single stiff nod at my question.

"Derek, we need to work together on this, maybe even tell the Argents," Scott decided. He looked between us and Derek. When his eyes locked with Stiles and mine, I nodded at him. _I'm with you,_ I told him with my eyes.

"You trust them?" Derek asked incredulously.

"Nobody trusts anyone! That's the problem. While we're here, arguing about who's on what side, there's something scarier, stronger and faster than most of us, and it's killing people! We still don't even know anything about it!" Scott cried out.

"Maybe if your little vampire friends were still here, we could have stopped this thing by now," Derek scowled at me.

"The paralysis happens to me, too! Who's to say it wouldn't work on them?" I glared back. "Scott's right. He's not suggesting we become best friends with Gerard and invite him over for Christmas every year! He's just suggesting we include them. Maybe they know something we don't. They study supernatural creatures. We don't. I would trust Allison with my life. Not all the Argents are bad, Derek. I would trust Allison over you anyday," I spat.

"Well I know one thing," Derek glared at all of us. "When I find it, I'm gonna kill it." I was about to protest, but he began walking away so I kept my mouth shut.

"Come on," Stiles murmured in my ear, leading me towards his Jeep. I followed him, the word _abomination_ lingering on my mind.


	15. Someone's A Little Too Excited

"You know I'm still sorry, right?" Stiles asked as we lay on his bed, me still in Scott's hoodie. I frowned at him.

"You're sorry for saving our lives?" I raised my eyebrow, turning over to look at him. He was about to protest, but kept his mouth shut. "I have something to tell you." I sat up on the bed. He looked at me nervously.

"Do you remember when you asked Danny what gay guys thought of you?" I asked him.

"Yeah, he wouldn't tell me if I'm attractive," Stiles sighed.

"You're very attractive, Stiles," I admitted, blushing. "But what I want to tell you is I found out something about you and the gay community."

"What?" Stiles sat up.

"Danny checks out your ass," I snickered. Stiles did a double take.

"What? How do you know?" He asked.

"Remember how I was wearing your Lacrosse gear?" He nodded in response to my question.

"You were needed on the field. Coach was looking for you and I know how much playing the game means to you and your dad, so I wore your gear and stepped in before you could get in trouble," I admitted, awaiting his reaction nervously.

"Okay, what does that have to do with my ass?" He wondered aloud. "By the way, thank you for saving my position out there." He kissed me quickly on the lips then on the nose. I grinned under his kisses.

"Danny noticed that I wasn't you because he said 'Since when has Stilinski had a lady's ass?' and asked me why I was you," I chuckled. He clasped my hand in his.

"So, I am attractive to gay guys?" He tilted his head.

"Considering he immediately noticed that it wasn't the same ass, you must have a stare-worthy one," I pointed out. He stared at me with amusement and bent down to kiss me again. I smiled into the kiss, glad we were both okay.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to this," he grinned. "I can't believe you actually like me."

"Seriously, the weird part about our relationship is me accepting you? I'm fifty years old," I reminded him.

"But I'm a weird teenage kid with an even weirder best werewolf friend," he countered.

"Scott is wonderful, and I'm not quite sure which of you is weirder," I laughed. He joined me laughing.

When the laughter died down, I remember today's events.

"I can't believe I was half-naked in front of so many people today," I whispered, slowly dying on the inside from humiliation.

"I don't think Scott really saw anything," Stiles lied.

"I can tell you're lying, remember?" I sighed.

"Right…" he bit his lip. "Summer, it doesn't really matter. It's just like wearing a swimsuit, right?"

"I never really went to the pool. We didn't want to risk exposing me as a supernatural. If I swam, it was always at the Cullen house. I never felt the desire to go swimming afterwards. I hate swimming," I explained.

"Are you ashamed of your body?" Stiles asked.

"I don't know," I admitted. "I have just not really been so exposed in front of anyone who isn't family before. It was weird and if I hadn't been in so much danger, I would've felt really weird about it."

"I never take off my shirt if I can help it. I feel weird about it in the boy's locker room. Everyone is in so much better shape than I am," Stiles confessed.

"Earlier today, you were gonna take your shirt off to make me more comfortable," I pointed out, flattered. He nodded with a small smile.

"I'd rather you feel comfortable," he told me, stroking my cheek. "Besides, I was going to repay the favour. You took off my jersey so I would be comfortable and not drown. It was the least I could- would've done," Stiles joked.

"Yeah, but if I didn't, we would've all likely drowned," I pointed out.

"Not the point," he laughed. "Real couples take their shirts off for each other's comfort."

"But you haven't taken your shirt off in front of me before," I countered. It was true, but I immediately regretted saying that.

"Do you want me to?" He asked, staring at me. I began to blush. This was so awkward. My mind screamed yes, but I knew better than to say that.

"You don't ha-" I was cut off by Stiles slowly lifting the bottom of his shirt.

"Stiles! If you don't feel comfortable, don't-" I froze when his shirt crumpled to the floor. I slowly gulped my words down, taking in the beautiful sight in front of me. My eyes travelled from his belt up to his surprisingly sculpted body.

"Stiles," I murmured. "Why the hell are you insecure?" My eyes drank in the sight of his body. Every inch of it was perfect. A nervous grin spread on Stiles' face. He crawled onto the bed beside me and wrapped his arms around me.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of Stiles. Tu es très beau," I told him. He brought his face to mine and kissed me softly, his lips only brushing against mine. I pulled him closer, closing my eyes and leaving little room between our mouths. Our mouths molded together perfectly and he crawled on top of me. I shivered as his bare stomach brushed against my skin where Scott's hoodie was slightly lifted up revealing the slightest of my own bare skin. Our lips continued moving synchronously and I could hear both of our hearts beating quickly in excitement. His hands moved upwards to the zipper on the hoodie, but he stopped himself. As he began to move his hands away, I stopped them with my own and put his hands back on the zipper, helping him zip it down slowly. His heartbeat quickened even more.

The noise of the zipping halted as he reached the end and I shrugged out of the hoodie, tossing it to the floor. Once again, for the second time today, I was in just a bra and Lacrosse pants. Excitement rather than nervousness, to my surprise, took over my body. There was a lot of awkwardness as one would expect from Stiles and I. Our hands would clash and most of the time, we didn't know what to do with them. It was nothing like the movies.

After his hands had hovered over the Lacrosse pants waist a few times, I placed his hands there, encouraging him to go farther. As soon as my pants hit the floor, our heart rates were both significantly accelerated. My lips trailed kisses along his neck, but the blood flowing wildly in his body filled my nostrils. My eyes shot open and I gently rested my hand on his chest. He pulled back and watched me with concern.

"Blood," I whispered, sitting up.

"What?" He gasped, looking around his body. "I'm bleeding?!"

"No, Stiles. Your heart is going a little crazy there. You're pumping more blood and I can smell it more than usual," I explained. His face shifted into realization.

"Ohhh," his mouth formed the shape of an o.

"I don't want to hurt you, Stiles," I whispered. He sat up quickly, making me nervous. _I didn't hurt him physically, but I did emotionally,_ I thought. I was soon corrected, because suddenly Stiles was back in front of me, sliding a hoodie around my body. It wasn't Scott's this time, but his.

"I'll wash Scott's," he told me. He flicked the hood up over my head and tightened the strings so only my nose poked out of the hood. I giggled and Stiles scooped me up, throwing me over his shoulder. My feet met soft material as Stiles slid me into some sweatpants. Stiles gently placed me on the floor before wrapping me in a warm embrace. I freed my face from the hood and pushed my cheek against his chest. I realized he still had no shirt on and my cheeks flared.

"Hey, Stiles?" I mumbled against his chest. He hummed in response. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'd rather be alive and have a nice make out sesh than look like a pile of mince beef," he joked. "You can control yourself better than you think, though."

"I'm not so sure about that," I admitted, still red like a tomato.

"Well- ohhhh…" Stiles stopped himself when he realized I wasn't talking about blood anymore. I giggled against his chest and he laughed too.

Morning arrived and I couldn't stop thinking about last night as I went into the school. It had been one crazy time. I played Lacrosse as Stiles. We learned more about the lizard creature, which turned out to be called a Kanima. I almost drowned and Stiles and I went farther than we've ever been before. My mind wandered to Stiles taking off his shirt. _Summer, no. Do not think about it._

I noticed Lydia then and I was glad for it. I approached her and lay a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you doing any better?" I asked her. She nodded, a small smile on her face. "Ice cream?" I guessed.

"No, I lost nine pounds recently. I don't want to get it all back, no matter how tempting ice cream is," she laughed. "Thanks for coming to talk to me. I think I'm okay now." I smiled at her then waved as we parted ways.

"Summer," someone called out to me. I turned around, finding Bella walking after me.

"Hey, Bella," I greeted her.

"How was the game?" she asked.

"Crazy. Stiles had stuff to do but was called to play so I ended up playing as Stiles. Then the Kanima-" seeing her confusion, I corrected myself, "-supernatural creature, sorry, tried to kill us. Stiles, Derek and I almost drowned then the thing ran away."

"Okay, I don't know what you're talking about," Bella shook her head. I filled her in on everything that I thought she needed to know.

"I guess I shouldn't tell you that Jacob and I have been exploring the woods and going hiking, then," Bella sighed. "Before he got sick anyway."

"Bella! Beacon Hills is so dangerous right now. First of all, there are giant bear creatures roaming around, according to the police. Second, there is a damn lizard-man killing everyone," I scolded her.

"With Jacob sick, I haven't been going lately anyway. Well, not with him."

"Dammit Bella," I shook my head. "No more exploring. I'll bring your father into this," I threatened. We laughed then went our separate ways to our classes.

In economics class, I filled Scott and Stiles in on what Bella told me about her exploration.

"You think we should follow her," Scott guessed.

"Pretty much. I'm going to follow her, regardless. I can update you in via text," I replied.

"In the group chat?" Stiles asked.

"Fine," I grinned at him.

"Hey, Scott?" Stiles spoke to his best friend. Scott turned his attention to him.

"Can you throw this out for me? I don't want to get up," he admitted, an empty juice box in his hand. I rolled my eyes. Scott sighed and told Stiles to get up. I grabbed the juice box from his hand and threw it into the air, sending it flying towards the front of the room. The juice box bounced off of the wall above Coach's head and landed into the small recycling bin beside his desk.

"Who in the hell threw that?" Finstock cried out. Stiles pointed at me and I shot him a glare. _Great, another detention_ , I sighed.

"Ever played Lacrosse?" Finstock asked me. My frown turned into laughter as Stiles' face transformed into disbelief. I shot Scott and Stiles a knowing look, remembering the game.

"No, Coach. I don't," I answered.

"Well that's too bad," he replied. "We could use a decent player."

I headed out the school after the final bell, keeping Bella's scent on lock. She wasn't heading in the direction of her house. She was exploring again. I noticed something behind me as I got into the parking lot.

"Boys," I acknowledged, turning to face my followers. "She's not going home."

"We should take my car," Scott decided.

"You guys are coming, too?" I asked. He and Stiles nodded.

"Do you actually think we would let you go alone?" Scott asked me. I wrapped my arms around the two boys' shoulders.

"You guys are awesome," I laughed. "Now why your car? Well, your mom's car."

"Because Bella won't recognize it," Scott replied.

"That's good enough for me. Let's go," I agreed.


	16. Bob Marley

We all hopped into Melissa McCall's car and followed Bella's rusty truck. Scott drove, I was in the passenger seat, and Stiles sat in the back.

"Why am I in the back, again?" Stiles questioned.

"Because we have supernatural senses and you don't," Scott replied. I looked back and shrugged at my boyfriend before turning towards the front again. Bella's truck pulled over on the side of the road. We drove past her, making sure our faces were hidden. Once out of her view, we pulled over too. The three of us piled out of the car, Scott and I tracking her scent.

"I know where she's going," I whispered. The boys glanced at me questioningly. "The clearing. Where James attacked me. This is the way to the other side of it."

"Why would she come here?" Scott asked.

"Evil things. Very evil," Stiles replied.

"She has some good memories here," I answered. "She and Edward used to come here all the time together. She came to one of the famous Cullen baseball games here once." We continued following, leaving a wide distance between us to make sure she didn't hear us. A couple times, Stiles stepped on a twig, its crack erupting through the trees. Another loud sound was the thumping of his heart. Scott and I shared a glance before I finally spoke up.

"Stiles, are you okay being back here?" I asked, pressing my hand gently against his cheek for a brief moment as we continued sneaking around.

"What? Oh yeah. Totally fine," he nodded. Scott rolled his eyes. I suddenly stopped, slamming my arm across both boys' chests to get them to stop too. We were close to the clearing entrance now and I could hear a voice along with Bella's.

"But the Cullens aren't here now, are they?" The smooth voice taunted. "They left you behind."

"They're close by and I'll tell them you stopped by, but not Edward. He's...overprotective," Bella replied.

"See, I find that hard to believe. If they are still here, why are you alone? And why is the house empty?" The stranger, whose voice was beginning to sound familiar, spoke gently. "The Cullens are gone." Ignoring common sense, I lurched forward. Speeding through the trees, I flung myself into the clearing.

"The Cullens _are_ still here, Bob Marley and I suggest you leave before the rest get here," I growled. Though I put on a brave façade, seeing who was with Bella was an extremely unpleasant surprise. It was the man who was with James and Victoria when I almost lost my arm permanently. My heart raced at the sight of him, but the thought of Bella in danger helped distract me.

"You," he breathed, his French accent blooming through his words. "You are alive...and you have two arms."

"Deal with it," I shrugged. Scott stepped out behind me then, snarling viciously at Laurent, the vampire before us.

"You again," Laurent noticed. "You cannot all take me alone. Two humans, a half human and a puppy. I don't want to hurt all of you, but I need to feed."

"Feed on this," I raised my middle finger towards the vampire. Stiles choked on laughter behind me.

"Maybe I will," he agreed.

"Oh, well hold on-" I mumbled, realizing he was actually coming to attack. He had gotten halfway to me before he skidded to a halt. He stared off into the trees where a twig snapped. The air smelled strongly of wet dogs. I grabbed Stiles and pulled him to me protectively, same with Bella. Scott and I stood in front of the humans of the group.

A giant black figure broke out through the trees. All four of us looked at each other with shock. Several more creatures followed the black one who appeared to be the leader.

"They're not bears," Scott breathed. I nodded slowly. He was right. The things that had been murdering hikers were actually giant wolves, not bears.

"That's not possible," Laurent gasped. To our surprise, he turned on his heels and raced away from the wolves. Reacting to the vampire, the wolves raced after him, though a russet wolf paused for a brief moment before joining them.

"I've gotta tell my dad," Stiles and Bella said at the same time.

"Scott, you go with Stiles. I'll go with Bella," I decided quickly. We all nodded in agreement then I got Bella to climb onto my back. I sprinted as soon as she was on, avoiding trees as best as I could. Bella flung herself into her truck once we arrived by its side. I hopped into the passenger seat and she began driving immediately, her truck roaring to life. In the wing mirror on my side, I could see Scott's mom's car behind us and I sighed with relief.

Bella left the key in her truck when we pulled up. That's how much of a rush we were in. We raced into the kitchen to find Chief Charlie Swan and a man I did not know.

"Girls," Charlie acknowledged.

"They're not bears!" Bella cried out.

"What?"

"The bears that have been on the news. They're not bears. I- we saw them while out in the woods. They're huge wolves!" Bella explained.

"What the hell were you two doing out in the woods?" Charlie sighed.

"I wanted to go exploring," Bella shrugged.

Not wanting him to hate me anymore, I added, "Scott, Stiles and I followed her because she told me she had been before. We just wanted to make sure she was safe."

"Throw me under the bus, huh?" Bella rolled her eyes.

"I want him to like me," I whispered to her. Amusement glinted in her dark eyes.

"Wolves, you say?" Charlie asked. Both of us nodded.

"Are you sure about that, girls?" Charlie's friend asked. We nodded again.

"Well, Harry. Feel like going hunting?" Swan offered.

"Uh, sure," his friend nodded, seeming very skeptical and unsure.

"Bella, Summer. Both of you should stay here until further notice and neither of you go out into the woods for god's sake," Charlie Swan sighed. "Harry and I are heading out now."

"Stay safe," I called to the men as they left. Charlie nodded gruffly.

"You're not staying here are you?" Bella guessed.

"Actually, I am. The Kanima is out there somewhere, there are giant wolves on the loose, and Laurent is in the area. That means he's probably got company," I replied.

"Victoria," she nodded. "He said she sent him to find me. She wants revenge on Edward for killing James."

"Then I'm definitely not leaving." I pulled my phone out and began messaging the boys.

 **To THE BATCAVE: Charlie and his friend just went out to hunt the wolves.**

Moments later, I got a reply.

 **Scott: Yeah, we know. He radioed Stiles' dad.**

 **Stiles: My dad is going with them.**

 **To THE BATCAVE: Okay. Are you guys okay?**

 **Scott: We're both fine. You guys?**

 **To THE BATCAVE: Laurent (dreads) said he was there on behalf of Victoria (the redhead that was with L & James - arm ripper). He was going to kill Bella for her to get revenge on Edward because he killed James. That was Victoria's mate.**

 **Stiles: Oh god…**

 **Scott: We have to protect her. She can't leave our sight.**

 **To THE BATCAVE: Already told her as much.**

I turned to Bella and told her what Scott and Stiles said.

"I'm sorry you got dragged into this mess that is the supernatural world," I spoke after a moment of silence.

"I'd do it again, for Edward," she replied. I gave her a sad smile.

"I miss him, too," I admitted. "To be honest, I thought I would be staying with them permanently this time. We still ended up going our separate ways, though."

"What were they like back then? When Edward found you?" Bella asked.

"Very much the same, except with a different sense of style," I told her, an amused smile on my face. Bella laughed, though sadness was plain in her eyes. She rested her head on my lap as we sat on the couch.

"I'll keep an eye out for anything suspicious," I told her.

"Victoria probably knows by know. She'll know the Cullens are gone and I'm still alive," Bella mumbled sadly.

"We're all gonna be okay. We'll keep you safe," I promised. She mumbled unintelligibly. As she fell asleep, my own eyelids began to feel heavy like gold.

"Goodnight," I whispered before closing my lids.


	17. The Black Plague, Er Mono

"How's Jacob?" I asked Bella, meeting up with her before lunch. It had been three days since the Laurent/wolves incident. Charlie and his friend Harry hadn't found the wolves, but they planned to go out again soon.

"It has been too long since we last talked, so I decided to visit him," Bella explained. I looked at her expectantly. "He was taking a stroll in the rain," she sighed.

"What? With mono?" I asked skeptically.

"It gets worse. He was shirtless and in shorts." My jaw hung out as she told me this. Just when I thought it was a really bad situation, she continued, "he cut his hair."

"What? I liked his hair. Why did he cut it?" I sighed, feeling sorry for this poor girl.

"And he got a tattoo," she added. This wasn't like phases teenage boys typically went through. This was beyond strange.

"He told me to leave and that we couldn't be friends anymore. He said he wasn't good."

That told me a lot. Something was going on with this kid and it made me think he was the Kanima even more. _Edward would kill Jacob if he knew what was going on,_ I thought.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. Maybe he's just going through a phase," I offered.

"I hope so," she mumbled. Placing my hand on her shoulder, I smiled sympathetically. She began to join her friends at their table where Allison and Lydia also sat, to my delight.

"Oh and Summer?" Bella added, very quietly so nobody but me and maybe Scott could hear. "He _knows_...about the Cullens." My lips parted and I froze. She turned and sat at the table.

I listened to the cafeteria buzz of people until I heard my favourite voice out of all of them. I located Stiles and sat with him and Scott, telling them what Bella had just told me.

"He's not a werewolf, is he? Unless, some just get more feverish than others?" Scott suggested.

"I did wonder about that at first, but what if he's our lizard guy?" I questioned. They shared a look before looking back at me with a look that said 'go on'.

"We don't know really anything about the Kanima. We don't have a clue how similar or different it is to werewolves, so maybe they run really hot temperatures? Also, we don't really know Jacob, meaning we don't know about his willingness to kill."

"Unless he doesn't know he's killing," Stiles added.

"That could definitely be something to consider," I nodded. "Plus, you said it looked like it knew us, right?" Stiles nodded.

"Jacob knows you two," Scott spoke for me.

"Should we talk to Bella about this?" I asked the two boys.

"Maybe we should wait. If we want her help, we shouldn't spring something like this on her. Especially when she's just been hurt," Stiles cautioned. Scott agreed, and so did I.

"We'll tell her if something more evidential comes up or if we really need information from her," I decided. The boys nodded and we all made a deal.

"He's definitely something. He knows about the Cullens," I rested my face in my hands.

"Knows? Like he knows they are...you know?" Stiles looked around to make sure no one was listening.

"Yeah. He knows what they are, but I don't know if he knows about me."

"Let's hope not," Stiles said, grabbing my hand.

The next morning morning, Saturday, I got a call from Bella. Stiles' eyes widened and he hissed at me to shut the phone off before his dad hears it. I nodded, sneaking out and back to my house. Calling her back, she answered immediately.

"Jacob came to my house last night," she breathed. I sat down on my bed, listening intensly.

"He said he can't tell me what's going on. He said he's bound and that I know what is going on and have to remember," Bella explained. I remained silent, confused by the wording.

"He said I already knew about the killer part," Bella's voice dropped to a whisper over the phone. That was when I spoke.

"What?" I gasped. Putting her on speaker phone, I texted Stiles and Scott what she was saying in a group chat between the three of us. Maybe he really was the lizard creature.

Stiles: He is SO the Kanima!

Scott: I think now you better tell her. What if he attacks Bella? Or someone else we know?

Stiles: Like me! Remember he tried to kill us?

To THE BATCAVE: No, doesn't ring a bell?

Stiles: -_-

To THE BATCAVE: 3

Scott: Can't you guys save that for your private texts? Not the group chat?

Stiles: 3

To THE BATCAVE: 3

I realized Bella was still talking and I had gone silent for a while, distracted by the groupchat.

"Summer?" Bella said for the fourth time.

"Sorry! I was deep in thought. So, did you remember?" I asked.

"I don't know. I have a couple ideas, but I was hoping you'd help me figure it out so I can go talk to him. He didn't want to send me away. He was trying to keep me safe."

"Do you want me to take you there?" I offered.

"The Cullens aren't allowed there. It's against the treaty," Bella protested.

"I'm not a Cullen. I'll be there soon. We can take your truck," I hung up on her.

To THE BATCAVE: Bella and I are going to Jacob's. I'll let you know if things go south.

Stiles: Stay safe 3

Scott: Seriously, let us know if you're hurt or if you figure anything out. I'll come get you.

To THE BATCAVE: Thanks guys.

I ran to Bella's house, disguised by the forest. Bella opened the door and let me in while she finished getting herself ready.

"Hey, Summer," Charlie nodded. "How are you and...Stiles doing after...you know."

"We'll be okay. Still shocked," I answered, realizing he was talking about the mechanic shop.

"Let me know if you, uh, need anything," Charlie muttered, scratching the back of his neck. I smiled at him as Bella came down the stairs.

"Okay, let's go," Bella called out.

"Where are you going?" Charlie asked curiously.

"Jacob's," she shrugged.

"You're talking again?" Charlie raised an eyebrow.

"It was a misunderstanding," Bella brushed him off.

"And Jacob and Summer know each other?" He wondered aloud.

"Yeah, uh, they're great friends," Bella nodded awkwardly. "Super great." I added to the lie by nodding enthusiastically.

"Well, okay. Have fun, then," Charlie mumbled. _Damn, this family is so awkward,_ I thought as Bella and I left the house. Bella motioned to the driver's seat and she climbed into the passenger seat.

"Are you nervous?" I asked her, turning the key and letting the rusted orange truck roar to life. She ran a hand through her dark hair, causing the headband to fall out of her hair.

"Yes, no. I don't know. I just don't want to lose him. I feel like I was just starting to feel okay and then he…" Bella took a deep breath. "He did the same thing." She avoided eye contact with me when she said that.

"We're gonna figure this out, Bella and if we don't, I will kick Jacob's ass for you. I will share my weird friends if you need someone to talk to about the weird stuff that happens in Beacon Hills," I smiled at her to which she responded with a quiet thank you.

We were about halfway there when Bella spoke again. "So what was all the panic then cuddling about at the cinema?" I blinked, not expecting that to come up.

"What do you mean?" I asked, hoping she wasn't talking about what I think she was.

"You know, after the movie. You looked scared then suddenly you and Stiles were all close and happy," Bella confirmed she was in fact talking about what I thought.

"I may or may not have accidentally said I loved him, but in a really casual almost joking way," I cringed just thinking about the way I said it. I didn't regret telling him, but the way I did could have been cuter and far less awkward and cringey.

"You what?" Bella gasped. "Did you mean it?"

"Well, yeah, but it was so cringey how I said it," I chuckled.

"Alice would freak out," she said thoughtfully, though I could hear the pain in her voice. _She would,_ I agreed without speaking.

"That's a big step for you," Bella commented. "I remember when you didn't even want to be friends with anyone."

"I still can't believe it. Especially how I said it first," I breathed, curving down a gravelly road.

"Did he say it back?" Bella asked. "Judging by your cuddling, I'm going to assume so."

"Yeah, he did," I grinned. "Which house is it?" Bella pointed to a small, but charming house with a large driveway. There were many similar houses scattered around the area. As I arrived at Jacob's house, a dog scent made my nose wrinkle.

"Careful, Bella," I cautioned as she got out of the truck. Her personal business with Jacob wasn't mine to intrude on, so I stayed in the truck. "And good luck," I added. She nodded and trudged towards the house.

A man in a wheelchair opened the door and I could hear him protest as Bella marched past him into the house. I was impressed by her determination.

After a few minutes, Bella ran out of the house, but not back to the truck. She charged off in the distance towards four shirtless guys in a fiery rage. They walked dominantly, as if they owned the entire of Beacon Hills. One of them, the biggest, seemed the most dominant. _Something is off,_ I shuddered. Bella's shouting filled my ears and then I watched her hand crack across one of the boys' faces. As the receiver of the slap began shaking violently as if attempting to control his rage, Bella backed up. Realizing I was quite far from the scene, I slowly got out of the truck, alert. As the boy raged, his entire body trembled and rippled, something not normal. Suddenly, the angry kid exploded into an enormous ball of fur and teeth.

"Bella!" My voice chorused with someone else's as Bella fell to the ground. I raced towards the scene, full speed, not caring about exposing myself. I bared my teeth at the giant wolf which now stood in front of Bella. It was just like the wolves that interrupted our exchange with Laurent. ' _There are two kinds of werewolves in Beacon Hills. The Quileute werewolves, they reside in La Push. At least that's what I've heard…'_ Scott had told me when I first discovered he was a werewolf. _Of course,_ I thought. _Quileutes...I should've known._

Wind tore at my face as I sprinted towards Bella. The four shirtless men glared at me. Bella jumped up and ran away.

"Jacob! Run!" She shrieked. I looked back to see Jacob running towards the same spot as I was. _Moment of truth,_ I realized. _He is either the lizard or a wolf._ Jacob soared through the air in a giant leap, his clothes exploding off of him into tattered pieces of cloth. Before me now stood a russet wolf far taller than me.

"It's not you," I gasped. Distracted by Jacob, I didn't notice the giant wolf launch towards me until I was up close to gnashing wolf jaws. His teeth were inches from my face as he pinned me down. I tried to wriggle away, but the wolf was too strong. He was far stronger than Scott and Derek ever would be. More so even than Peter, perhaps. A strong force bowled into the side of the towering wolf, knocking him to the side. As the angry wolf was pushed off of me, his claws slashed across my cheek. I cried out in surprise. It was then that I realized Jacob had taken the wolf off of me. The two wolves fought, rolling in a ball of dust and rust. The remaining Quileutes chuckled as one of them went to go deal with the fighters and the other two walked past me. I watched their legs go towards Bella as I continued to lie on the ground. My face and arms stung, much like the time Scott attacked me under Peter's control. These claws were much larger and sharper than Scott's, so I was lucky to escape with the wounds I got.

"I'm not going anywhere without Summer," I heard Bella snap. My head spun and her words sounded distorted.

"What is she? She looks like a Cullen, but she bleeds. That's not natural!" One of the boys exclaimed, surprise in his tone rather than resentment.

"If she was a Cullen, don't you think she'd be with them by now?" Bella retorted.

"She smells different," the other boy pointed out.

"Fine, she can come with us, but don't expect the rest of the pack to be as trusting," the first boy sighed. I stumbled as the two boys each grabbed an arm and pulled me to my feet.

"She doesn't look so good," the stronger-looking one commented. The skinnier one nodded in agreement.

"Don't worry Summer, I know them...well I know him," she motioned to the skinny one. "That's Embry."

"Sure is. Embry Call," he introduced himself. "This is Jared." I nodded slowly, watching the world spin around me. I was suddenly lifted off the ground, into Jared's arms.

"Stiles would not like this," I laughed, wincing as the cuts stretched with my smile. I heard a snap and a giggle. I looked over at Embry who had my phone.

"What are you doing?" I demanded.

"I sent it to the contact called 'Stiles' with a little heart beside it," Embry shrugged.

"How did you even unlock my phone?" I asked.

"I saw your fingerprints and followed the pattern," he shrugged again. I sighed.

"You know he is going to freak out when he sees the blood, right?"

"Naw, the sun in the picture blocked it. It looks really romantic," he laughed. I was shook slightly as Jared laughed with him. Jared jumped into Bella's truck bed and sat with me. Embry tossed me my phone, which I only just caught. He and Bella climbed into the front seat.

"Sam is _not_ gonna like us bringing a vamp into his home," Embry spoke to us before reversing out of Jacob's driveway.

"Good thing I'm not a vampire."


End file.
